Every year, in an effort to get exactly what you want, a Christmas list is requested from our family members. This isn't a generic list where you document a general idea of what you want {candles, a fuzzy blanket, or a new coat}, but instead, specific website links are generated and sent via email to gift-givers who are anxious to please. I've gotten really comfortable in this method of gifting because it's so much easier for the gift giver to knock one out of the park and give the perfect gift because it's exactly what the recipient asked for. What if someone was asking for the most practical gift year after year but they weren't receiving it? Today is Giving Tuesday and I want to share how you can give the most practical impactful gifts that will help vulnerable kids and families in the ways they need it the most!
Want to see the BEST Christmas Gifts for 2021 that will help you choose joy? Check out this post on the World Vision website.
It's hard for us to even imagine life without clean water but it's a reality for 1 of every 10 people on the planet. Did you know that more than 800 children under the age of 5 die every day as a result of contaminated water, poor sanitation, and unsafe hygiene practices? It's a reality for the millions of women and kids who walk, on average, 6 kilometers every day to get water. That water can make them sick and often prevents them from going to school or work, robbing them of living a fulfilling life.
I've had the chance to visit several developing countries with World Vision and look at the water sources being used and the best way I can relate it to understanding in my world is to take a walk around my neighborhood and find the closest water source. This is often a drainage pond or a creek bed with water runoff. It's mind-blowing that people in 2021 still do not have access to clean water.
But you can be a part of the solution!
World Vision is the leading non-governmental provider of clean water in the developing world. I've been sharing about the work that they do since 2014 and in that time, I've seen numbers drop. That number up there where I mentioned 800 children under the age of 5 dying every day? It's staggering, but I also did a little whoop because that number has gone down considerably and I love seeing progress in the right direction!
It's because of partners like you, that allow World Vision to reach one new person every 10 seconds with clean water. And it's exciting because there is an ambitious but achievable plan to reach everyone, everywhere World Vision works {they are active in nearly 100 countries!} by 2030.
That's in our lifetime friends!
Would you like to donate to the World Vision Clean Water Fund? Follow this link to find out more.
It's not a blog post from me if I don't share a story, so here you are friends, storytime!
I share this story often when I'm talking about the impact of clean water.
When I was visiting a community in Zambia, I was drawn to a few teenage girls that were about the same age as my oldest son was at the time. At home, I was immersed in college fairs and applications, dreaming up my son's future plans. In Zambia, these girls were learning for the first time what it was like to dream of their future because before, they were living day by day, sick often and struggling to do more than survive.
One girl shared that she thought she was going blind. Her eyes were often swollen and itchy and when she did go to school she struggled to pay attention or even see the blackboard at the front of the class so she often didn't bother.
Her community received a borehole supported by people like you that had donated to World Vision water fund. It didn't take long for her to regain her eyesight. You see, the water source they were using before was shared with cattle, pigs, goats, and dogs and while the water was shallow on the edges, the water ran fairly deep under tree roots. Dogs would oftentimes go and drink from the water and fall in getting caught under the roots. They would die and only resurface after their waterlogged bodies bloat and explode. Some of the water they would draw to drink and cook with would have fur in it. Once the dog would surface again, they would scoop it out and continue to draw water as if nothing had occurred.
Turns out, my new friend was allergic to dogs. Providing a new water source gave her so many new opportunities, including getting her eyesight back!
You can read more about the dead dog water source here.
So while it's fun to give people you love exactly what they want on their list {website link and all!}, maybe you want to make Giving Tuesday even more special by choosing a handcrafted gift for someone on your list with a donation to the World Vision Fund. Any gift given to the World Vision Fund on Giving Tuesday, November 30, will be matched up to $1 million!
The World Vision Fund helps vulnerable kids and families in the ways they need most {including the secondary impacts of COVID-19} and empowers communities to lift themselves out of poverty. World Vision is offering eight celebrity-designed, artisan-made gifts in exchange for donations to the World Vision Fund. You're sure to find the perfect gift!
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