Born In September (Toastmaster's Speech No: 9)

What do you do on your birth day?

Go to temple or church, wear new dress, give treat to colleagues, and throw away party for friends? 

And how much you spend on it?

Good evening toast masters and respected evaluator.

90% of us spend money on our birth days, sometime during youth the expenses goes high, one of my friend who is working in banglore told me that he took a personal loan to give a birth day party for friends over there.  I was little confused and asked him

“Why, why do you want to give such a big party?”

He told me, “There is a custom in our friendship group, there are 15 of us.  We give our birthday party at Taj hotel and we need to take them for outing whole day, around 80k will be spent on this”

This increased curiosity in me, to check, what people do on their birthday?  There was no other media for me to check, so I started searching on Internet.  There was 100’s of events posted on different websites and blogs, funny one, different ones.

But one of them catches my attention.

When Scott Harison, the founder of “Charity Water” project turned 31 he asked his friends not to bring any gift for him instead provide him the money, so that he can start a charity work for developing country to provide clean water.  His friends did so.

He travelled through African countries where clean water was the biggest problem, since government was not providing any help to people in this and they need to travel miles to get good water.

With the money he raised, he hired a local bore well contractor and travelled 10 miles away and made a well.  In that area people use to travel around 10 miles every day to get good water, and this bore well solved their issue.  The living standard of whole village was raised within 3 months.  He calculated the amount required for the project, it was 20 dollar to provide good water for a single villager.

He started his campaign again, this time he informed his friends and other well wishers that “Just put $20 and you will be able to provide good water for a person lifelong”

Through 4 campaigns from 2007 to 2010 charity water was able to provide pure water for millions of people around the world. 

All the campaign works are powered by social networking sites such as “Facebook”, “Twitter” etc.  In charity water website they provided an option to start our own campaigns, we can start the campaign and ask our friends to contribute an amount of $20 which is price for pure water for a person.

Many started the campaign and contributed the amount of their birthday treat to “Water Charity”

 In 2011 Rachel Beckwith wrote on her facebook page

“On June 12^th 2011 I am turning to 9, I came to know that millions of kids in this world don’t live to see their 5^th birthday and why? Because lack of clean water and good food, I am lucky that I am able to see my 9^th birthday, and I am going to celebrate it like never before”

And she requested to her friends not to gift her anything on this birthday, instead transfer her $20 each, so that she can raise an amount of $300 and give it to charity water project.

She was able to raise only $220 in her campaign, but this amount is sufficient to provide pure water for 11 people lifelong.

Last month, in July 2011 Rachel met with an accident and went into comma because of heavy injury in her spinal code.  On 23^rd July 2011 her life supporting equipments removed and she left this world.  She is no more with us.

But the campaign started by Rachel is still continuing and so far charity water is able to collect one million dollars, which is price for pure water to 50,000 people.

I am not going to ask you to contribute money to any charity, but when you spent 1000 Rupees on your birthday or on your loved ones, remember the price you are spending for single day happiness can provide happiness for a person lifelong.

Thank you and over to you toastmaster