It’s that time of year again. Time for all of us to come together, have a little bit of fun, and make a huge difference for kids around the world. The enormously popular fundraising event, Red Nose Day, is back and will be airing live on NBC on Thursday, May 26 at 9pm ET.
Red Nose Day is a two-hour live televised benefit show hosted by NBC that features some of the biggest stars coming together for a night of laughs and musical performances all to help raise money for children living in poverty in the U.S. and around the world. Through the power of entertainment, Red Nose Day has raised over $1 billion globally in the last 25 years.
And all of us here at charity: water couldn’t be more excited!
Last year, through the support of our partnership with Red Nose Day, we were able to bring clean and safe drinking water to over 30,000 people in Rwanda. This year, we want to help even more. All funds we receive from Red Nose Day this year will go towards building clean water projects in Nepal.
Many of Nepal’s water sources are not only difficult and dangerous to access, they are highly contaminated. Half of the children living in Nepal are underweight and 60% of childhood death results from malnutrition, exacerbated by having to drink dirty water. Additionally, over half of the population live without toilets and access to adequate sanitation.
charity: water has supported projects in Nepal for over five years, and we have served nearly 227,000 people with clean water through 1,131 projects. With our implementing partner, Nepal Water for Health (NEWAH), we provide lifesaving water and sanitation services to rural communities by constructing gravity-fed piped water systems that help deliver pure spring water across miles of rugged terrain directly to community tap stands. And with help from Red Nose Day, we can make this a reality for even more communities there.
But we want you to be a part of the fun too!
Head on over to your nearest Walgreens store to get your very own Red Nose for only $1 and snap a picture of yourself to share with your networks. You can use #RedNoseDay and @charitywater in your posts to help spread the word. Once you’ve got your family and friends on board, remember to watch the special on NBC on May 26 at 9pm ET. It’s going to be an incredibly entertaining show and powerful night, and you definitely don’t want to miss it.
And through it all remember to have fun, share a laugh, and know that you’re helping change lives for kids all around the world.
It’s one of our favorite times of year. Not just because we love to laugh— but because it’s a night of entertainment in support of so many fantastic causes, charity: water included.
Tonight’s show will be the third Red Nose Day that we’ve been a part of, and it continues to make such a huge difference for families around the world — children in particular.
In 2015, the first show (and all of those red noses) helped bring clean and safe drinking water to more than 56,000 people in Rwanda! 36,572 of those were kids!
That one night of laughs meant that thousands of families would no longer walk long distances to find water. Kids would no longer miss school because they’re waiting in line to fill a Jerry Can. Entire communities will become healthier and stronger!
Last year’s show had a similar impact in Nepal. Once more, families will be getting precious time and energy back so they can focus on more important things, like building better futures for themselves.
The laughs truly do add up. And we’re so grateful to be a part of it.
Tonight, we’ll continue to break the cycle of poverty for even more families in need. We hope you’ll tune in. Get those #NosesOn; the show starts at 10pm ET on NBC!
The enormously popular television fundraising event from the UK is coming to America in a spectacular, star-studded special airing live on NBC on Thursday, May 21 from 8-11pm ET, and we need your help spreading the word!
It began in the UK more than thirty years ago and has raised more than $1 billion.
WHO DOES IT BENEFIT?
The money raised for Red Nose Day will benefit charity: water, along with 11 other domestic and international charities, and will fund programs that address the needs of children and young people living in poverty in the U.S. and overseas.
1. Buy a Red Nose Red Noses are the symbol of the movement. They’re available at Walgreens nationwide and only cost $1. Wear that baby with pride.
2. Spread the Word Reach out to your community and social networks so they know to watch the show. You can use #RedNose and @charitywater in your posts. The more people that tune in, the more money we’re likely to raise!
(You can also download the app and add a Red Nose to your profile photo.)
3. Watch the Live Show This is the easiest part! You can support charity: water just by watching NBC from 8-11pm ET on May 21. It’s going to be an incredibly entertaining show and a powerful night. Don’t miss it!
Yesterday, a disaster on the other side of the planet hit home here at charity: water.
A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake devastated the country of Nepal. It struck between the country’s two largest cities: Pokhara and Kathmandu. This quake was massive. It’s the nation’s worst earthquake in 80 years and has already claimed the lives of more than 4,000 people. Thousands more are injured and displaced.
The people of Nepal need our help.
We have friends in Nepal. We’ve been working there for five years, implementing hundreds of clean water projects with two incredible local partners, Splash and Nepal Water for Health (NEWAH). We’ve funded projects in many of the areas affected by the quake: Baglung, Chitwan, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, Newakot, Sindhuli, Tanahun, and Kathmandu. We’ve met hundreds of people living in Nepal, heard their stories, and invested in their futures. Yes, this tragedy hit home.
After hearing about the quake, we decided to help. For the first time in our history, we’re now raising money for something other than water, but equally as important.
What does that mean exactly? Right now, funds will go to the most urgent needs: water, food, shelter, sanitation, hygiene, and emergency care for the injured. Down the road, support will help the country rebuild, because the damage is widespread. The recovery won’t be swift, but our response can be.
Nepal needs our help. Nepal needs your help. Though it isn’t our home that’s in shambles, we can respond like it is.
Give where the need is greatest. Today, that’s Nepal.
We’re responding to the earthquake in Nepal because the devastation was widespread. More than 2,000 people have died, and thousands of lives have been impacted.
We have worked in the country since 2010. We’ve funded more than 800 clean water projects there, with two incredible local partners, Splash and Nepal Water for Health (NEWAH). Many of our projects are in areas affected by the quake: Baglung, Chitwan, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, Newakot, Sindhuli, Tanahun, and Kathmandu.
We’ve met hundreds of people living in Nepal, heard their stories, and invested in their futures. We have friends in need. We wanted to help.
Who is leading the relief efforts and what’s charity: water’s experience with disaster relief?
Our relief efforts are being coordinated by our Chief Global Water Officer, Christoph Gorder, who has 16 years of experience working in disaster relief. Before joining our team at charity: water, he worked with AmeriCares, bringing medicine, medical supplies, and healthcare to people in crisis around the world.
Working with him is our VP of Key Relationships, Sabrina Pourmand, who served as Director of Programme Development for World Vision’s response to Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake.
Like our approach to implementing water projects, we’re working with strong local partners on the ground in Nepal to respond to the disaster and provide emergency aid.
Where will the money go and what will it be used for?
100% of your donation to Nepal will go to relief and rehabilitation efforts on the ground. All charity: water operating costs are covered by a small group of private donors.
First, funds for Nepal will go to help with people’s most urgent needs: water, food, shelter, sanitation, hygiene, and emergency care for the injured. Following the initial quake, aftershocks have continued to wrack the region, and people have been sleeping outside in fear of more buildings collapsing. Thousands are injured and displaced.
Down the road, support will help Nepal rebuild, because the damage is widespread. Donations will support long-term rehabilitation efforts. The recovery won’t be swift, but our response can be.
Who are charity: water’s local partners in Nepal and what experience do they have?
Our two amazing local partners in Nepal are Splash and Nepal Water for Health (NEWAH). Together, they have more than 25 years of experience delivering humanitarian aid.
Additionally, two of our international partners—Action Against Hunger and World Vision—have launched major relief efforts in Nepal and we’ll be working closely with them as well.
This crisis doesn’t seem like it’s about water. Is it?
Clean water is just one of the many urgent needs in Nepal following this earthquake. People also need food, shelter, and emergency aid for the injured. In this crisis, we’re not limiting our focus to water. Instead, we’re responding comprehensively, supporting the aid efforts of our partners, and simply giving where the need is greatest.
How do I know my donation to Nepal will be well spent?
When you give to disaster relief in Nepal, we will keep you updated as the efforts continue. Even after the initial crisis passes, reconstruction efforts will take time. It will take years to recover from this tragedy, and the need for funds is immediate.
The impact of your donation can help save lives today and help rebuild them in the future. We think that is money well spent.
Two years ago, I started working with an incredible charity: water supporter named Siobhan and her husband, Terry, on an epic fundraising campaign for Nepal.
Siobhan was setting out to climb Mt. Everest and she wanted to change the lives of people in Nepal while doing it.
I worked with the couple for months, and every email they sent inspired me more than the last. All told, they raised more than $107,000 for clean water projects in Nepal. That is a rare and incredible feat. But now, I’ve come to realize, that’s typical for these two.
In April of 2013, Siobhan started her journey to summit Mt. Everest.
She made it to Basecamp and then noticed swelling in her right arm. She saw an on-site doctor, who recommended she head home. The news was heartbreaking. She’d trained for months and flown thousands of miles, only to be told to turn back.
Disappointed, she boarded a plane back to San Francisco. But during her layover in Hong Kong, she changed her mind. She decided to turn around and give it another go.
Siobhan flew back to Kathmandu, trekked back to Everest, and made it to an elevation of about 24,500 feet. Yet so close to her goal, due to High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (which can be deadly), she had to turn back again.
Still, this amazing woman didn’t head home and say, “Well, at least I tried.” Instead, she promised she would go back another year.
Right now, Siobhan is running another clean water campaign. This one is called “Everest Again.”
Yes, Siobhan is back on Mt. Everest. This time, she was prepared. She was ready to crush that mountain, climb her heart out, and stand atop the world. But in 40 seconds last Saturday, everything changed.
On April 25, when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal, it shook the world’s highest peak. Siobhan was on Mt. Everest at the time, climbing a ladder at the Khumbu Icefall. Thankfully, she was uninjured and managed to reach Camp 1 along with four other climbers. But the quake triggered avalanches, cutting Basecamp off from the higher parts of the peak.
For two and a half days, Siobhan and her fellow climbers remained stranded.
On Monday, she finally made it back to Basecamp. By Friday, she’d been taken safely to Kathmandu. Soon, she’ll be heading back to the States.
This isn’t a story about standing on top of the world. This is a story about changing the world.
Siobhan might not be summiting Mt. Everest this year, but I know this won’t be the end of her story.
Even through everything that’s happened since the earthquake, Siobhan has raised more than $20,000 for clean water this year.
I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Siobhan’s husband, Terry, all week. Throughout uncertainty and fear, he’s kept me and the charity: water team in the loop, as we waited anxiously for Siobhan reach safety. It’s something I will forever be grateful for.
No matter what Siobhan’s future holds, here at charity: water, we’ll be watching. Her hard work and dedication has brought clean water to hundred of people. Her fundraising efforts have changed hundreds of lives.
charity: water supporters are incredible.
They’re the reason I get up in the morning and skip to work. They’re the reason I believe that one person has the power to change the world. They make me a better person.
At times, they even put their lives on the line, because they believe the same thing we do: They believe every person on the planet should have clean and safe drinking water, and that the craziest thing we can do to help is nothing.
In Nepal, things are getting worse. But they will get better.
After a disaster like the 7.8 earthquake that hit Nepal last Saturday, it’s easy to feel like aid takes far too long to arrive. Especially when people are still sleeping outside through aftershocks while food, water, and medical supplies dwindle.
Help is coming for Nepal. It simply takes time.
Christoph Gorder, our Chief Global Water Officer, has 16 years of experience working in disaster relief. He has responded to 11 earthquakes in the past—as a first responder, working on the ground, and running overall operations.
He’s heading up our earthquake relief and recovery efforts and he helped write this article to shed light on the situation in Nepal, outline the challenges ahead, and explain why things often get worse before they get better.
The Current Situation
The last four days have felt like an eternity, but we are still very early in the disaster. The information coming out of Nepal is fragmented and the situation on the ground is very chaotic.
Here’s what we know: The death toll has passed 5,000. Around 10,000 people are injured. Millions are affected and in need. Relief teams have not yet been able to reach many outlying areas.
Even in a developed country like the US or Japan, a disaster this big overwhelms the system’s ability to respond. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world and their government was weak to begin with. For example, the Nepalese military has only one large helicopter to ferry victims and supplies to those in need.
On the ground, first responders like policemen and firemen have become victims themselves; they’ve been injured, lost loved ones, or lost their homes. Everyone in the affected area is suffering.
The country’s infrastructure has been torn apart. Roads are impassable because of landslides and debris, the electrical grid is knocked out, and communications systems are very damaged. In many places, there’s no running water. It took several days just to get the airport up and running, so planes carrying aid could land.
The Coming Days
In the coming days, we will hear many more stories of suffering. But we’ll also start hearing stories of hope—of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Nepalis are doing everything they can for their neighbors. They’re saving lives, sharing their homes, and supporting one another through fear and grief.
For people in crisis, it can feel like help will never arrive. But it will. Though the situation is terrible, the people of Nepal are not alone.
Within hours of a disaster like this, the international community puts their response teams into play. Organizations like ours rallied teams and put emergency plans into action. Relief efforts are ramping up. Hundreds of planes are heading to Kathmandu with relief supplies and aid workers. Some have already landed.
Help for Nepal is on the way.
The Coming Weeks
First, relief efforts focus on meeting people’s most urgent needs: access to water, sanitation, food, and shelter. By the second week, relief efforts should gain momentum. charity: water staff are already in the region.
During the coming weeks, clean water and sanitation will be critically important; especially in the overcrowded areas of Kathmandu, there’s a high risk of spreading disease. Our partners on the ground will be actively working to prevent that by supplying clean water for people in need.
Further Down the Road
Recovering from a disaster of this magnitude is no small task, but in time, Nepal will turn its eyes to rebuilding. Months from now, people in Nepal will still need our help. And we will be there.
In the past five years, we have invested nearly $5 million in clean water and sanitation projects in Nepal. We’re more committed than ever to helping the Nepalese people.
Now and in the future, we’ll continue our work bringing clean water and sanitation to people in need. Where systems are broken, we’ll work to get water flowing again. Where we’ve planned new projects, we’ll fulfill our commitments.
We are in this for the long haul.
Our Work
We already have charity: water staff working in the region, coordinating with local partners and major relief organizations.
Our immediate efforts are focusing on providing clean water and sanitation for earthquake survivors. In the long term, we’ll be rehabilitating damaged water systems in communities we’ve served in the past.
Many of our projects are serving schools in Kathmandu, where we’ll be working with other aid organizations to get kids back in school as quickly as possible. Having clean water at those schools will be a critical part of keeping people healthy.
In Kathmandu, we’ve already started initial damage assessments. As rural areas become accessible, we’ll assess them, too. Wherever there is damage, we’ll be putting together recovery plans to get water flowing again.
Your Support
In the days since the earthquake, thousands of you have donated to support our relief efforts. We cannot thank you enough.
We couldn’t be prouder of our generous supporters. If you haven’t already, please give to Nepal. You can make a real difference for earthquake survivors. Give to Nepal. 100% will go to earthquake relief and recovery.
This September, charity: water turns 10 and we’re celebrating by launching our biggest physical installation in charity: water history. We’ll be taking over The Winter Garden at Brookfield Place in NYC for three weeks this August to raise awareness for the 663 million people living without clean water around the world.
And we want you to be there with us.
We’ll be sharing our new Virtual Reality film, The Source, and inviting the public to put on a VR headset and meet Selam, a 13-year-old girl in Ethiopia. Guests will step into Selam’s world for 9 minutes and experience the moment her village gets clean water for the first time and their lives change forever.
Thanks to a generous anonymous donor and our friends at Morgan Stanley, every viewing of the film will unlock a $30 donation and give one person clean water. Our goal is to bring at least 10,000 people clean water by the end of the three weeks.
If you can’t join us in person, you can still experience The Source! Watch it online here.
Ryan first learned about charity: water after following Instagrammers that were sharing our organization’s mission along with their charity: water campaigns (I love how community grows both organically and digitally — here’s to you, Internet!). He was inspired by our message and our model and boldly decided to take his first step in combating the water crisis by using his 21st birthday to fundraise for clean water.
His campaign concept? A personified Jerry Can.
Ryan is currently advertising his 21st birthday campaign on Instagram (@ryanjaydee) and wants to bring this symbol of the Jerry Can to life. In his words, “If you don’t already know, the Jerry Can is the symbol of charity: water because it represents the people in developing countries that have to carry containers to store their drinking water. When filled up it weighs about 40 pounds. It’s a part of these millions of people’s lives because they have to carry it for long distances to get water for their families. charity: water describes it as a “hope to change” and I completely agree with that. That’s why I want to personify this Jerry can and make people aware of the this problem!“
Ryan, happy 21st birthday! We celebrate you, and we thank you for the impact you’re making in this world.
Two years ago, humanitarian photographer Esther Havens met a young boy named Jean Bosco as a charity: water well was being drilled in his village. Since then, she’s photographed hundreds of people around the world for charity: water. She recently revisited that first village and met up with Jean Bosco again. Here is her story.
All I could hear was my heart thumping.
I walked a familiar dusty road with a camera in my right hand, a stack of photos in my left. I was on a mission to find Jean Bosco.
My world first collided with his two years ago when I traveled to Rwanda with an organization called Wishing Well Africa. We spent three days in his village, Murinja. Each morning, we followed people as they collected drinking water from small, murky ponds and watched them fill their Jerry Cans from the same place where animals sloshed and women washed their laundry. People here spent hours walking for water that made their kids sick. Their kids constantly complained of stomach aches.
I remember the first time I saw Jean Bosco; I took a photo of him immediately. He was a bashful boy but his face resembled maturity beyond his years. He showed me his home. He walked me along the path he used every day to collect pond water.
Like Jean Bosco, I never knew you could drill a hole into the ground and drinkable water would come spewing out.
I wondered if he’d ever know how many people would recognize his face. Without a clue, this one boy had helped bring clean water to villages all over the world by inspiring others to help.
But I saw this first-hand. The day we arrived in Murinja luckily corresponded with the day a charity: water well was drilled. Jean Bosco and I stood side by side and watched as the drilling rig bore into the earth, finding water 70 feet below. We rejoiced together when clean water gushed out of a new well that was a short walk from his home. We knew then that life for him and his neighbors would never be the same.
I left Murinja unsure if I’d ever see him again. But I couldn’t forget Jean Bosco. I shared his story with charity: water, and they shared his story with the world. Before I knew it, he was famous. His face debuted at the charity: water Saks Fifth Avenue gala and showed up at other fundraising events and exhibitions in NYC. I got calls and emails from people so moved by his story that they sponsored wells, started their own fundraising campaigns or in one instance, named a pet after him (the African Grey Parrot at Sea World is lovingly named “Jean Bosco”).
Jean Bosco’s story offered a sobering look at life for millions of kids in the developing world. But to many, he became a symbol of hope and inspiration. Villages like his don’t have to keep drinking brown pond water. All they need is a little help.
In April 2010, charity: water asked me to return to Rwanda. Anticipation mounted as I took off for Murinja Village with water program director Becky Straw and multimedia producer Mo Scarpelli on a crisp Saturday morning. We passed the murky pond where the community once collected water and children fell in step behind us near the freshwater well. I pulled out a couple of photos from years before and asked if anyone recognized Jean Bosco. They giggled at the sight of their friend -– yes! He was nearby! They could show me.
I heard the familiar seesaw-like sound from the well; kids were pumping away, filling their Jerry cans, and I even recognized a few. I asked if they remembered their well’s drilling or if remembered me. “Last time, my hair was white, like Santa Claus,” I explained. A few laughed and said something in Kinyarwandan. “They say you are the same,” our translator told us. “But your hair was like an old man before, so you are younger now.”
“Jean Bosco!” A chorus of excitement rang out as a slight, graceful boy stepped up a small hill where I stood.
I was taken aback -– Jean Bosco looked the same! He was a little taller but his face was indistinguishable. Becky and Mo recognized him from the six-foot tall photo that hung in the charity: water office, a world away.
I handed him printed photos of himself. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. He hesitated. Then a smile broke out on his face. He reached over — and hugged me. I was flattered and surprised. He remembered me! And he knew why the charity: water well was important to his community.
“We used to get sick,” he told us as his younger brother held tight to his side. “We don’t get sick now.”
“Our stomach pains are gone,” other children chimed in. I scanned the small crowd forming around us and recognized a young woman.
“Clarisse!” She smiled back up at me, bent slightly forward with a new baby on her back. She told us she watched the drilling two years ago while pregnant with her first child. “I knew the water would be safe for my baby,” she told us. “I was relieved.”
We asked her if the new well affected her in other ways.
“Before, I could not get clean,” she told us. “Now, I am shining. I am clean!”
Just two years of clean water transformed this village -– and I got to see it with my own eyes. As I stood with Jean Bosco again near his well before saying goodbye, I wondered if he’d ever know how many people would recognize his face. Without a clue, this one boy had helped bring clean water to villages all over the world by inspiring others to help.
This is why I tell stories, this is why I get close to the people I photograph and this is why I share their heart. Jean Bosco doesn’t yet fully understand the impact of his story. But I’ll keep telling it forever.
That’s the number of people who have gained access to clean and safe water thanks to our brand partners. We are incredibly grateful for this community of like-minded brands and their ability to raise awareness for the water crisis in powerful and creative ways.
To celebrate their work and inspire new collaborations, we hosted our third annual Brand Partnership X Summit at Canoe Studios in NYC! This year, we were joined by over 65 brands for a day of insightful conversations. We focused on innovation and what it means for our work at charity: water, in partnerships, and in the world around us. From groundbreaking sensor technology and the launch of The Pool to jewelry crafted from meteorites and sprinkle-filled rainbow cakes, we left feeling inspired to keep creating and pushing the boundaries.
Check out the highlights from this year’s event:
We are so grateful to everyone who joined us. The Summit would not have been possible without our speakers who generously gave their time to help us see how purposeful innovation can drive change. A very special thank you to:
Professor, author, and entrepreneur Scott Galloway, for showing us the importance of having a meaningful career and helping us understand our life strategies, not just business strategies.
Kristin De Simone and Sylvia Hartley, Partners at Thrive Market, for sharing the story of how Thrive Market decided to partner with charity: water and for reimagining what giving means for their brand and customers.
Simon Sinek, optimist and bestselling author, for teaching us what it means to feel fulfilled and reminding us that we need to build the future together.
Artist and designer Monique Péan, for sharing her story and inspiring us with her incredible craft and unwavering commitment to sustainability and support of local communities.
Paull Young, Partner at Facebook, for showing us what being a true partner really means and encouraging the importance of working in tandem to create change.
Amirah Kassem, baker and entrepreneur, for urging us to be our true selves and demonstrating how working hard and inspiring joy can go hand-in-hand!
Another special thank you to Canoe Studios for the beautiful space and delicious catering; Taylor Creative for the comfortable and stylish furnishings; Badger Mountain Vineyard and Sunday Beer Co for providing the wine and beer for cocktail hour; Thrive Market and Scott Galloway for helping us fill our swag bags; C2 Imaging for printing and installing the stunning branding elements; Dear Bayard for the beautiful greenery; The Spaniard for hosting our pre-event cocktail party; and all of the volunteers who worked tirelessly and joyfully to ensure the day went off without a hitch.
