The movement to make fresh, clean water available around the world is near to my heart. When I was in South Africa recently I saw just what a vital tool a village well can be. Seeing people travel huge distances to carry clean water home (usually in large jugs balanced on their heads) was eye-catching, but more so was hearing about just how vital one well can be for hundreds of people. To see such gratitude over something we take completely for granted each time we turn on a tap completely changed the way I look at some of life’s fundamental needs.

The math isn’t hard to understand: A $20 donation can give one person clean water for 20 years. 1.8 billion people around the world don’t have access to safe water. That’s 1 in 6 human beings on the planet. For Josh’s birthday, he’s gunning to raise $5000 to create a well that will deliver fresh water to 250 people for 20 years.

I donated. You can too, by clicking right here. Plus, this gives us another reason to watch charity: water’s excellent 2008 PSA supported by Jennifer Connelly: