Gearing Up for the NYC Twestival

• Diarrhea is the second largest cause of child mortality.
• A five minute shower uses 10-25 gallons of water.
• On average, women in Africa and Asia walk 3.7 miles a day to collect water.
• America uses 408 billion gallons of water a day.
• A child dies every 15 seconds of a waterborne disease.
• 80% or all sickness in the developing world is due to water-related disease.

From NYC Twestival

These stats are the motivation behind the work of charity:water a nonprofit that brings clean and safe drinking water to developing nations.  In various cities around the world today people will come together to learn, give, and celebrate.

This couldnt come at a better time.  On a personal level, learning about water scarcity and it’s economic and social impact helps me reevaluate my own privilege having grown up with clean water.  On a professional level, I am excited to participate in another example of social media being used for social change even as various people question its efficiency.

I look forward to sharing my reflections and hearing yours.  If you are going to be at a twestival tonight, please tweet or blog your experiences!