October 15th of each year has been chosen as Blog Action Day, a day where bloggers unite around a common theme, and produce posts that have to do with that subject, in order to stir up action in that area. I had never heard of this before, and only stumbled upon it by accident as I was surfing the web. Blog Action Day caught my eye, because it occurs on my birthday. Earlier in that week, relatives had been asking me what I wanted for my birthday, and I had a difficult time coming up with ideas. I mean, I always can use a gift card for bookstores, because I'm an avid reader. I'm thinking about getting a desk, but would really need to pick that out myself. I'm also thinking about buying a video camera, but still need to do some research about which one would be best. Both of these latter things, though, are plans for the future. I have plenty to do before I will have the time to make room for these items. When I read about Blog Action Day, though, I did have an idea.
The topic for Blog Action Day this year is 'Water'. I have always been interested in those organizations which provide community wells and filtering devices for those who do not have access to clean water. One organization in particular which I am familiar with is Samaritan's Purse. In fact, I had just received their 2010 Christmas gift catalog, which outlines some of the projects which donors can indicate they would like to support.
Item # 30 in that catalog is a Household Water Filter. These "require no chemicals or power, instead using a natural biological process to remove disease-causing microorganisms and pollutants." Each costs $100 and lasts a lifetime. That may be more than one individual is able to donate, yet the project could become a great goal for a team effort. Perhaps a class, club or business could collect funds together. Ten friends could donate ten dollars each without too much effort.
Larger donors might consider providing clean water for an entire community. Item #24 in the catalog is a large-scale water filtration system. This costs $10,000 and can provide clean water for 500 families. "Following the earthquake in Haiti, we installed 20 of these filters at camps, orphanages, and medical facilities, along with building latrines and training people in proper hygiene."
So, for my Blog Action Day birthday, I would love it if people donated money to Samaritan's Purse to help others receive clean water. Take a look at the catalog and see if there is a project which catches your interest. After you donate, please take a moment to let me know: www.kaleidoscript.blogspot.com . I hope Samaritan's Purse gets lots of 'presents'! (If you are reading this after October 15th, you can still donate anyway. People will always need clean water, -- which is, after all, the point of this whole exercise...)
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