How to make a difference with clean water? Each year, over 840,000 lives are lost to water-related diseases. There are more than 748 million people living without water.

Water access is a particularly large problem in rural areas, where 82% of those who lack access to clean water live.

A lack of clean water is a problem for the developing world, but as difficult as things may seem, one organization is standing up and fighting for water access.

Since 2008, Generosity.org has funded 561 wells in 19 countries. Promoting water access in the developing world by making giving social, the website has become a major agent of social change in the developing world.

Generosity does this by making giving social. By encouraging individuals to pledge just $3.33 a day with a group of friends, Generosity is able to fund large scale water projects with smaller donations. Think of something similar to Kickstarter, only instead of funding a new movie or album, generous people can fund one of the 637 clean water projects generosity has supported in the developing world.

On the ground, Generosity’s work toward securing clean water in impoverished regions is based on cooperation with local governments and authorities. Prior to constructing a well, a water committee is formed, allowing the ground team to properly consider all variables in providing the community with water.

Furthermore, the 377,242 people reached by Generosity benefit from Generosity’s devotion to following through on its projects. Reports are filed 9 to 12 months after the completion of a project, and each report is available on Generosity.org’s website.

Generosity.org is one of many organizations using the social media model to make a difference. By taking the connectivity brought about by websites like Facebook and using it to provide developing-world communities with water, Generosity is making a huge difference in the lives of the world’s poor.

– Andrew Michaels

Sources: Generosity.org, Stand4 Magazine DoSomething.org