We are so lucky to have lots of material possessions, and blessed that people want to buy us presents - for our birthdays, Christmas and for our anniversary.

But we don't need more stuff.

This year, I'm giving my birthday up and we are both giving up our anniversary and Christmas.

I was at a conference and I met Scott Harrison, the founder of Charity: Water. And I cannot get what Scott told me out of my head.

I heard the story of children who walk three to four hours each day to a water source to get water for their families instead of going to school.

I heard about women in their twenties and thirties whose spines are permanently deformed from walking with 40 pound containers of water on their back each day to get water – dirty water – for their families to drink.

I heard about a four year old girl he met who would drink water and immediately vomit it up because of the filth contained in the water. Then she would drink more of the same water because she has no choice.

And I heard the story of a woman who walked for eight hours with a 20 pound clay jug on her back filled with 40 pounds of water. Something she had done thousands of days to provide water for her children.

One day when she got back to her family with the water, she accidentally dropped the clay pot, shattering it and sending the precious water she had collected onto the ground. She then hung herself with the rope she had used to tie the clay jug to her back.

I pledged my birthday for charity water.

This year I'll be 55, it's also our 15th wedding anniversary and we are asking for $15; $55 or anything you like to give. this isn't for us but to help to build freshwater projects for people in developing countries.

Almost a billion people in the world are living without clean water -- but how much are they really living?

Millions contract deadly diseases from contaminated water. 30,000 people will die this week alone. The lucky ones won't, but still have to walk hours each day to get dirty water for their families.

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. I want to make my birthday matter this year.

The best part: 100% of all donations go directly toward water projects. And about 18 months after this campaign ends, charity: water will show us where and how every dollar we raised ended up helping in the field. We'll see GPS coordinates, photos and more details about the communities we've impacted.

Please join me.

Denise x