I am so thankful for community that supports and encourages me constantly.

I went with 30+ dear friends to a ranch in the country this weekend. We swam, shot guns, roasted marshmallows on an open fire, read and journaled, slept, played games, ran after cows and fished for fish we never caught. We did not have internet, cell phones or computers. It was a truly splendid weekend. This summer is one that I will never forget. I have learned to take time and rest, to replenish myself so that I can continue to run hard. It’s easy to burnout when you work 24/7 — especially when you want to change the world. But we all need to take time to enjoy life. Soak it up!

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Today I turn 27 years old….

I want to ask each of you to help me accomplish a dream of mine. I want my birthday this year to help provide enough clean water for an entire village in Africa.

I’ve spent the past two years capturing stories at charity: water projects in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Haiti and Central African Republic. I’ve talked heart to heart with women who walk 8+ hours a day to get a bucket of dirty water for their families to drink. I’ve seen women crawl into fowl smelling ponds shared with cows to gather drinking water. I’ve sat with countless people dreaming, hoping and praying for clean water to one day come to their village.

When it finally does……LIVES ARE CHANGED!

This year 100% of your donation will go to a charity: water well in Central African Republic.

Last year I traveled to C.A.R. and spent time with the beautiful Bayaka People. The tallest of them stood only about five feet tall, and almost all had unique facial markings, scars and sharpened teeth, which represent beauty to them. When we asked them “What is your age?? or “Ngu tti mo ayeke ok,” in the local language Sambo, the Pygmies couldn’t answer. Most had no idea how old they were. We found quickly that the more appropriate question was, “How many children do you have?” which they then were proud to answer.

A typical mother in C.A.R. has about 8 children, and sees 4 of them die prematurely from water-borne disease or malnutrition. Can you imagine losing half of your family just because your water was dirty?

I’ve heard their voice loud and clear as they expressed their need for clean water and now they need you. Photos of the Bayaka

Collectively we can and will change a village forever!

So please, on this 27th Birthday of mine…help give clean water to the Bayaka people by giving a small gift of $27.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

http://www.mycharitywater.org/estherturns27

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