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How charity: water is Leveraging Twitter and Celebrity to Deliver Clean Water to the Developing World
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Printcharity: water is a charitable organization that began in 2006, after founder Scott Harrison had discovered first-hand the meaning of the old cliché, “money can’t buy happiness.” Professionally successful but spiritually empty, Harrison signed on with a Mercy ship, Anastasis, as a photo-journalist bound for Liberia. In place of his previous luxury digs in a prestigious New York high-rise, he shared living space in cramped, dirt-floor huts with roaches, fleas, and palpable despair. That, and thirst. Pervasive thirst, where water supplies were typically disease-infested, polluted swamps.
Harrison returned to the U.S. a year later with a mission: To promote global awareness and education about extreme poverty. Beginning with a photo-mission in Uganda, Harrison brought back graphic depictions of third-world conditions and needs. A desperate need for clean water is the focal point of the organization’s initial campaign, and it caught the attention and interest of celebrity personality Alyssa Milano.
charity: water initially funded six wells in Uganda. They then provided photographic documentation of changes and improvements for the populace, along with GPS-indicators for Internet tracking of new well-digging via Google Earth.
Working independently, Ms Milano asked her Twitter followers to celebrate her birthday in late 2009 with contributions in lieu of gifts, to help bring “... clean water to the developing world one person at a time.” Birthday greetings with donation checks rolled in, with contribution amounts ranging from a single dollar to several thousand dollars. Many donors sent checks for $37 (Milano’s age), $370 and, in a couple of instances, $3,700.
Learn more about how charity: water has helped raise awareness about the need for clean water and raised money for the cause using social media and other channels by watching the video below (for best results, disable the option to view the video in HD format).
The story of charity: water - The 2009 September Campaign Trailer from charity: water on Vimeo.
In less than three years, charity: water has raised more than $13 Million, and funded 1,548 water projects serving 802,455 people. Additionally, Alyssa Milano’s individual birthday project, which had set a fund-raising goal of $50,000, realized that amount in less than one week. Her original plan was to provide water for ten communities, 500 families and 2,500 people. Encouraged by the overwhelming response, she extended that to a new goal of $75,000, which will now quench the thirst of 15 communities, 750 families and 3750 people.
- charity: water organization description and Mission Statement http://www.charitywater.org/about/mission.php
- Extensive media coverage of charity: water http://www.charitywater.org/media/press.php
- New York Daily News interview of charity: water founder Scott Harrison, April 22, 2007 http://www.charitywater.org/press/dailynews.jpg
- Alyssa Milano’s efforts on behalf of charity: water http://mycharitywater.org/p/campaign?campaign_id=2414 and http://bit.ly/8somKb.
Learn More: Read additional case studies featured on Living the Path.