It all started last year when she came across the Twitter handle @charitywater. “It’s probably about water; it’s cute,” was all Kimmi Vo, CSOM ’14, thought as she clicked “follow.” But she did more than follow them online. This fall, she followed the group’s philanthropic and innovative example by starting a club at BC to raise funds for the organization.
Charity: water is a nonprofit that brings clean water to developing nations. Unlike most charities, where donations partially fund the cause and partially cover administrative costs, separate donors pay all employee salaries and organizational fees. Every dollar donated to the charity goes toward building wells and water treatment systems.
Vo recognized the good of the organization, but admitted that it initially failed to touch her. It wasn’t until this past summer, when she participated in World Youth Day in Spain, that the cause became real. In a group with peers from throughout the world, she embarked on a weeklong hike. While the first few days were through a dense area that was certainly frightening and challenging (she described it with a Harry Potter reference to the dreaded Forbidden Forest), it was the final few days through a barren region that changed her. “It was 100+ degrees with no shade, and you can’t get water in those areas.” Walking for hours without water made her think about charity: water, and how many individuals in developing countries experience that uncomfortable journey only to get dirty water. “It was just a short-term trip for me, but that’s how many people live,” Vo realized.
When she returned, Vo hit the ground running, determined to really make a difference. “I talked to a few friends about what we could do for charity:water, and they thought it was a good idea.” Vo recalls that after experiencing thirst firsthand, she realized how privileged she was to drink tap or bottled water. Her passion for the project was evident and inspirational to others.
She and a group of fellow students started raising funds for charity: water, and this Wednesday, Feb. 8th, they officially launch their campaign to raise $20,000 to bring a well to a school or health clinic. Their plans include a penny pledge, where individuals pledge either $100, $150, or $200. They have also partnered with Boloco to sell burritos, and joined with various clubs to have events and exhibits across campus.
“I don’t want to force it on anyone,” Vo insisted, but instead she hopes to inform the population about the global water crisis and how much of a difference we can make. “Compared to what we spend at BC on jeans or school supplies, it doesn’t cost much to save so many people.”
Fellow sophomore Jamie Ciocon learned about the cause from Vo and said, “because we’re fortunate enough to have a constant source of water, we neglect its importance. Vo and the BC charity: water team are doing a great job of making people realize how necessary it is, especially for those who don’t have the access to it like we have.” She chose to make a donation to the cause because she knew that her contribution would save a life, and she said her hope is that when BC charity: water makes its presence known on campus, more and more lives will be saved.
Already, BC’s charity: water group has raised $2,365, enough to serve 110 people who were once without clean water. Though that is only 1/9 of their goal, they have still made a significant, tangible, impact in those 110 people’s lives.
Being involved has not just changed their lives, but Vo’s as well. “Last year, I felt like something was missing,” she explained. “I didn’t have anything pushing me to want to make a difference, but now I’m so much more fulfilled.” In the future, though, she hopes that the water crisis will be resolved, and she sees herself continuing to give back. Wary of sounding cliché, she added, “it sounds corny, but we’re all people and I should want to help.”
The rapid success of BC’s charity: water chapter mirrors the immediately effective nature of the larger organization. In only five years, charity: water has raised over $42 million and served approximately 2 million people. On campus, Vo has already received 42 individual donations, and most importantly, has raised awareness among students. Though she began by telling her friends about the organization, a wide group of students attended the initial information sessions she ran, and are now involved in various aspects of the project.
“I didn’t want it to be a club where we delegate,” she explained. So instead, they function as an egalitarian board. Students play off of each other’s individual strengths. For example, Vo said they have “film students helping out with cameras as we start our YouTube campaign.”
Aside from YouTube, charity: water utilizes various forms of social media, like Twitter and Facebook to get the word out. After all, that was how Vo first learned about the charity. “Once we spammed Facebook so much that our activity went up 800%,” Vo recalled.
“We all drink water, but 1 in 7 people don’t have that,” Vo said. “It’s something that we all can relate to, and that can really unite the student body.” While she notes that there are many worthwhile causes out there, this is one that is so simple to help out with and is surprisingly unknown. “I knew about starvation and things like that, but when I saw kids drinking brown water, it was shocking,” Vo said. “I don’t think it’s fair.”
As a CSOM student who is currently overloading and preparing for a spring break service trip, Vo says that sometimes she wishes she could just take a nap. Her passion, however, keeps her awake. Vo explained that when you are so passionate about a cause, and when you know that 30,000 people die every week because of lack of clean water, it’s hard to sleep.
For Vo, it all started by reading a 140-character tweet, and she’s hoping that through Facebook posts, flyers around the school, and 1000 word articles like this, others will share her realization.
The BC charity: water Kickoff event will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 8th in Gasson 100 at 6:00 pm.
For more information, you can visit their
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Boston-College-charity-water/257630247616274
Twitter: @bcharitywater
Campaign page: http://mycharitywater.org/p/campaign?campaign_id=21810
Photo Sources:
http://www.onedayswages.org/donate/org/charity-water