Welcome! If you haven't gathered by now, I'm running 250km across the Gobi Desert in China, beginning June 14. Much of the story can be found on my blog at http://www.4deserts.com/blogs/comptetior_blog_new.php?pid=NDYy&blog=10

More important, however, is the cause for which I'm running: WaterAid provides clean water, sanitation, and hygiene education in developing Africa and Asia. This is a tremendously underfunded and ubiquitous, yet solvable issue in the developing world. Access to safe water is paramount to health and safety, and just a few dollars truly goes a long way in saving lives. I encourage you to explore the WaterAid America website at http://www.wateraidamerica.org/. This organization is doing amazing things and has a high and tangible social return on invested capital.

Please note that I'm also raising money for WaterAid on separate websites in the UK (www.justgiving.com/shawn_harmon) and Australia (www.everydayhero.com.au/shawn_harmon). It's more tax-efficient for donors to donate in local currency, so if you're not looking to donate in USD, then you're in the wrong place! I'll also try to periodically update the 'Amount raised offline' so you can see my progress in what is truly a global effort.

Thanks for your support, and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too! No amount is too small. This effort has been fragmented and inefficient, but thus far hugely rewarding for me personally. I'm excited about the attention that WaterAid has received thus far, and I'm hoping to keep that momentum... through the desert.