World Water Day is March 22, acknowledging the importance of clean water for people around the world.
In Washington, D.C., nearly 100 top restaurants are participating the UNICEF Tap Project, a grassroots initiative to provide clean water to children in developing countries.
Lack of clean water is the second largest killer of children under five. This year the Tap Project goes nationwide, including Washington, DC., where restaurants are asking customers to donate $1 for the tap water they get for free, to support the cause.
For a list of DC-area restaurants participating, click here. The fund-raiser is during the week of March 16, through World Water Day on the 22nd.
Last year, more than 300 restaurants and thousands of their patrons in New York City raised more than $100,000 -- that helped provide four million children with safe and clean water.
More than one billion people do not have access to clean water or adequate sanitation, and one in five of them are children. Eighty percent of all illness and infant mortality is due to waterborne disease.
UNICEF's goal is to reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe water and basic sanitation by 2015.
A little goes a long way— $1 to UNICEF can provide 40 liters of safe drinking water. That is enough to give one child safe drinking water for 40 days, or 40 children safe drinking water for one day.
As the saying goes -- every drop counts.
