It kills me to know that more than a billion people around the world don't have access to clean water. Lack of clean water and basic sanitation kills 42,000 people every week. That's more than all forms of violence and wars. What's worse is that more than 90% are children under the age of 5.

I'm turning 29 years old, and I consider myself an incredibly lucky person. I have food on the table, roof over my head and clean water is something I've always had in droves. Three years ago my friend Shak introduced me to Scott Harrison and the wonderful people at Charity Water. What Scott told me, blew me away and made me think differently.

What I realized was that the daunting task of giving everyone access to clean water can be made simple. Giving people access to clean water prevents diseases, creates equality as women are the ones having to carry the jerry-cans with water, and it also allows people to stay in school, instead of walking many miles for water. What Scott taught me that day is that we can solve these and many other issues if we all just help a little.

I really want to make my birthday to matter this year. So this year I'm giving my birthday up.

My birthday wish this year is not for more gifts I don't need; it's to give clean and safe drinking water to some of the billion people living without it.

So instead of asking for gifts, I'm asking for $29 or more from everyone I know. It's not going to me, though. All of it is going to build freshwater projects for people in developing countries.

Please join me. Thank you so much for celebrating my birthday with me.