As the year comes to a close, we want to remind you that water is still basic, and we can do something about it. WiB Board member Michael Guaglione has been moved to do something, and his enthusiasm is inspiring. Please read below why he chooses to give regularly and make your year-end contribution today!
When you love something, you can’t shut up about it. This is true of newlyweds, tech gadgets (AirPods, for me), restaurants, Apps for beating rush-hour traffic, and a million other things.
For me, Water is Basic is on that list. I’ll be on a plane telling a random guy that our team has drilled over 1,000 wells in South Sudan. In a jazz club, when I should be listening to music, you will find me telling my friend how employing local engineers increases efficiency and boosts local economies at the same time. One night, I took clients out to dinner and spent the whole night, explaining why clean water is the first step to educating and empowering women around the world.
Whenever I talk, people always have the same reaction––they love it. Here’s why:
Water is strategic. You can’t do anything until you have clean water. A lot of NGO’s focus on education, healthcare, or business, but water sits at the bedrock foundation of all of it.
Water is urgent. People die every day from dirty water. I used to hear that all the time, but this year I actually watched a little boy battle Typhoid…and almost lose the fight. In the US, he’d live a full life; in South Sudan, not so lucky.
Today, I don’t have big plans. After church I’m having lunch with a friend then I’m going to the movies with some guys tonight. The entire day, I won’t think once about water. But for millions of people around the world, water is the #1 thing on their mind.
For them, water is still basic.
This year, my friends and I sponsored a well that will pump water for 3,000 people until 2050. That means that Amani, the 11-year-old girl I met in South Sudan, will be in school instead of fetching water. It means hundreds of boys won’t fall victim to life-threatening diseases. And it means––this is the best part––that when they grow up, the well will pump out water for their children, too.
You and I never think about water, but we should––even if it’s on behalf of someone else. Please give generously this year-end to our work. We need to do all we can in 2020.
Michael Guaglione was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He holds a B.A. in Advertising from Rowan University and is a co-founder and Creative Director of EyeCatcher Creative, an advertising agency in New York City. Michael joined the board of Water is Basic in 2019.
