Hello All!!
If you've made it to this site, you're probably wondering what this is all about, so here it is...
My Mission:
In January of 2010 I will embark on an expedition to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the tallest mountain in Africa with a summit of 19,330 ft. My reasons for doing this are twofold. First, to accomplish a personal goal of scaling one of the world's seven summits. Second, to use this unique opportunity to spread awareness and raise funds for a very important and worthy cause, Living Water International (LWI).
My Reasons:
For over 10 years LWI has worked in Tanzania (and nations around the world) to bring sources of clean drinking water within reach of deprived people. Yet, to this day, an estimated 31% of Tanzania's population still lacks that essential resource. I will probably never understand what its like to look at a glass of water as a luxury. It is my hope, however, that through my personal struggle of going up Africa's tallest “hill,” that I will be able to “fetch a pail of water” for those in need. My journey won't be an easy one, but it pales in comparison to those that face poverty, disease, and death on a daily basis all because of something as simple as lacking clean water to drink.
My Goal:
According to LWI, it takes $5,000 to drill a new well to feed clean water into a small community. However, due to the difficulties of working in Tanzania it can cost up to $16,000 to drill a similar well. My goal is to raise enough funds to provide for one of these new wells. It will be a difficult goal to reach, but the difficult challenge of climbing Kilimanjaro needs an equally difficult financial goal to go with it. By creating this new source of clean water we can help one of these communities by truly improving their quality of life. I humbly ask for your support in this endeavor. Any donation, big or small, can make an impact. With as little as a dollar, a single person's water need can be met for an entire year. None of the funds raised here will be put toward the cost of my expedition. Every cent of your generous donations will be put toward benefiting the people that Living Water International strives to serve.
Resources:
Living Water International Website:
www.water.cc
3rd Party Charity Research:
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=9700
Mt. Kilimanjaro Information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilimanjaro