Back in January on my big day, my Kabbalah teacher (Yehuda A.) let me in on a little secret about birthdays. He said that "Satan" (ego) tricks us into thinking this day is all about getting gifts and blowing your own horn. All attention and celebration is on "me". It's a trap. The real purpose of your birthday is to do/be just the opposite. It's a huge (albeit disguised) opportunity to become a being of sharing. That's where true happiness lies. So if you're ever a little stuck or feel you could use a little happiness in your life, then do an act of sharing. It's really just that simple. I share this now because my friend and FundRaising Malawi partner Leah Reynolds forwarded this email to me from her friend Scott Harrison. I am inspired, impressed and, truth be told, a little spooked. He is me in some bizarre and simultaneous parallel universe. A real BIRTHDAY BOY! His birthday is September 7th. And he, like me, chooses to make the day of his birth mean something in the world.
Scott is asking for $33+ donations to get wells built in Africa -- specifically 333 in Ethiopia. I signed up my nephew, master Matthew Silka - who will be 8 on September 28th. I'll donate on his behalf and maybe he'd like to do a little fundraising himself.
If you are September-born or know someone who is, this opportunity is for you:
Here's Scott's letter:
I’m writing you from Northern Ethiopia, where we're currently shooting photos and video for the 2008 september campaign.
Last september, many of you supported my 32nd birthday campaign to give a health clinic in Kenya clean water. We wanted to prove the power of low-level donations, and asked you for $32 gifts. You responded immediately, and then the concept grew.
see what happened last year >
Almost 100 other people with september birthdays joined up and sacrificed gifts for clean water. A 5-year-old asked for $5. A 67-year-old for $67. Together, we raised $151,000 - almost 4 times our initial goal. We used the money to drill for clean water in three health clinics and one school. More than 5,000 people got access to clean and safe drinking water.
This year, we're thinking bigger. Much bigger.
More than 75 percent of the people here in Ethiopia don't have safe water to drink. You'll learn more about their situation in the coming months, and have opportunities to again partner with us to do something really incredible here.
I'm turning 33 in September. This year, we want to do 10 times more than last year. And we’ll need a ton of help. We want to give 333 villages across Ethiopia clean and safe drinking water. That's going to cost $1.5 million, and will radically change more than 150,000 lives. We'll need thousands of people to again use their september birthdays; we'll need thousands of people to give $33 or more. But if we're successful, we'll drill a well from Ethiopia LIVE on September 7th and show you your money at work.
Hosted by our local partner here in Ethiopia, A Glimmer of Hope, we've spent the last week visiting and documenting 33 of those remote villages. It’s been a challenge, some of the villages weren’t reachable by road, and required long walks over mountains and ravines. But we wanted to put a face to this big concept – to meet thousands of the people we hope to serve with this campaign. 
We heard heartbreaking stories from women who walk over 5 hours a day to fetch muddy water. We've heard from women who fear hyena attacks on their way to the water hole. We've heard horror stories from children about drinking water infested with leeches. The leeches stuck in their throats, and then sucked their blood. We are determined to help every single one of them.
In the coming months, we'll build the new september website that will tell the stories of these remarkable 33 villages. Each village will be marked with a GPS coordinate, each will have a short video piece and image gallery. We'll invite you to admire and learn from the incredible courage of the people we've met here.
I’ve posted and captioned 16 photos from the villages HERE for a first look. In the meantime, here's how you can help:1. If you're born in September or know someone who is, please visit borninseptember.org and sign up. If you can pledge to give at least $33 this september, please visit and let us know we can count on your support.
2. If you missed the videos and photos of last year's story and drilling success in Kenya, please visit charitywater.org/september07
-Scott Harrison
special thanks:
- To Inmarsat & Evosat for their sponsorship of satellite connectivity here in Ethiopia.
- To the amazing Bertie @ BertieTravel for continuing to sponsor our flights to the field and getting us out of jams.
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