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The 2018 WellyMaker for charity: water

Two years ago I listened to a podcast that forever changed my perspective. Bill Simmons was interviewing Scott Harrison, the founder of charity: water, and Scott was highlighting his journey and charity: water’s mission. Scott was a NYC club promoter who was living a life filled with entertainment and excess. The service he was providing was something he enjoyed immensely and brought many others happiness, but often left him unfulfilled. This feeling resonated with me. The stories of struggles with disease and malnutrition that all stem from a lack of access to clean water were horrifying. They were struggles I could never conceive of. Then Scott described their goals as a company. The transparency, the commitment to 100% of donations going directly to water projects, and the communication on the work your donations are doing. This was a person, a cause, and a company I could get behind.

Many of us have no idea what it’s like to be thirsty. We have plenty of water to drink — even the water in our toilets is clean!

Millions of people around the world don’t have that luxury. Every day, about 1,400 children die from diseases caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation. But it doesn’t have to be that way; let’s make an impact together and change this. There are simple solutions like drilled wells, spring protections and BioSand filters that help provide clean water to communities around the world and improve lives.

Anything you can afford to give is a step towards living in a world where everyone has access to clean water. Charity: water estimates the cost of providing a sustainable clean water solution for a single person’s entire life at just $30.

Last year I started the Welly Maker with the goal of raising over $10,000 which is the estimated cost of a fully funded water project for an entire village. I was inspired by projects stared by Scott Fish or Dan Smith within the Fantasy Sports and Poker community. Ultimately, the response to the campaign was far more than I initially envisioned. Last year’s Welly Maker campaign raised over $40,000, enough to provide clean water solutions for over 1,300 people. In May, we received an update that those projects are underway in Mozambique. For those of you that contributed, THANK YOU! You will continue getting updates from the field. Here are two stories highlighting the impact of water in Mozambique that I wanted to share: The 15 year old president and More Bread for the Baking.

This year, I am excited to provide an update on the campaign from last year, as well as launch the 2018 Welly Maker campaign with the goal of surpassing last year’s totals. Every dollar donated towards the Welly Maker campaign goes directly towards clean water projects, as charity: water has private donors who cover all of their operating expenses.

After raising $40,000 last year, we’ve set the bar a bit higher this year. My wife and I will personally be matching all donations dollar-for-dollar up to $40,000 and I am hopeful that the community will rally again to support this cause. We’ll also provide a gift from the charity: water store for those donating $1,000 or more. To learn more about last year’s campaign and how to contribute this year please see below.

Thank you,

Drew Dinkmeyer

 2017 WellyMaker Update

Ranked 181 out of 188 countries on the Human Development Index, Mozambique did not reach its 2015 Millennium Development Goal targets of 70% for rural water supply and 50% for rural sanitation in 2015. Therefore, the Mozambique government – together with development partners, NGOs and the private sector – is committed to meeting the new Sustainable Development Goal of ensuring access to water and sanitation for all. Natural disasters, such as droughts, floods, cyclones, and earthquakes, are quite common in Mozambique, and poor, rural communities are left the most vulnerable during these times. In 2016, the central and southern regions of Mozambique suffered a drought caused by the El Niño weather pattern, which affected 1.5 million people (including 850,000 children).

Thanks to your support though, we’re changing everything.

YOUR CAMPAIGN AMOUNT RAISED
The Welly-Maker $40,453.69

The money raised from The Welly-Maker campaign is currently at work to change lives in Muecate and Nacarôa Districts in Nampula Province.

Nampula Province is the most populous of the 10 provinces in Mozambique, with a population of over 6.1 million people, yet only about half of the people living in the Muecate and Nacarôa Districts have access to clean, safe water. Our local partner, World Vision, is constructing drilled wells and complex piped systems in this country, where we’ve invested more than $5.6 million to fund 353 water points that will serve 177,232 people.