als ice bucket challenge

if you don't know what the als ice bucket challenge is by now, then you're probably living under a rock. i've watched the videos and read the articles, pros and cons. i've been challenged by multiple people and i figured i would share my thoughts on the matter.

i support the als foundation and the ice bucket challenge, but i won't be participating and this is why…

for those that know me, know that i love non profits and organizations that do good. i also love social media, advertising, and event planning. with that being said, i think the team behind the als foundation is brilliant. als has never gotten much light on the disease and many people have been clueless to what it is. this advertising campaign got the word out and i think it is an awesome campaign that successfully got their point across. this was a viral campaign and if they had just asked people to donate, it wouldn't have been a viral campaign. dumping a bucket of ice water on your head is the reason why als has raised so much money (as dumb as that may sound). 

but with all the being said, i've decided that i'm not going to dump a bucket of ice water on my head and the reason is because of the kids in these photos. 

i spent 6 weeks in tanzania, africa at the beginning of the year. a place where they don't have clean water, yet alone running water. when it rained, we got water. so when it didn't rain for 2 weeks... i went 2 weeks without washing my body or hair. now if i had to go 2 weeks in the united states… that'd be gross, but not a big deal. but in africa where the streets were made of dirt and trash. trash was burned and the smoke filled the air. dust storms rolled in. you walked with cows and sheep beside you. and you spent your days hugging and playing with children that had hiv/aids and 99% of them were constantly sick. when we got water, it was the best day ever. and even then, it was SO valuable. 

i never realized how important water is. you use it to wash your clothes, cook, wash dishes, shower, brush your teeth, go to the bathroom, feed the animals that help provide your food, and drink. 

on my second day in tanzania we made a visit to see one of the kids at the primary school that was sick. his "house" was a square room that was less than half the size of my bedroom here in the united states. i saw bottles around the room filled with a black looking liquid. it was water. we took the boy to the hospital to find out that he had dysentery and malaria. he got the dysentery because of the water he was drinking. had we not taken him to the hospital and one of the other volunteers payed for his medical expenses, he would have died. (the expenses added up to a few american dollars, the family couldn't afford it). 

my point? my point is that at this point in time, als has made their point and the need to dump a bucket of ice water on your head isn't so much necessary anymore. (how many more times can i say the word point?) i'm so happy that the media has finally spent some time to focus on a disease that many don't know about. but that doesn't mean that there aren't many other diseases and problems going on in the world that could use a little light shed on them too. als might not be your thing, and that's okay. but find something that you are passionate about. for me, i don't believe that by not dumping a bucket of water on my head i am going to personally help all those that don't have access to water in other countries. i do, however, believe that i can donate to als, not dump a bucket of water on my head, and still help als. i also think that by writing down my point here, i can possibly open up some other people's thoughts about this matter. maybe you still want to dump a bucket of ice water on your head, and that's fine... but maybe you'll also spend more time doing your research on how many people suffer from not having access to water or clean water and maybe give it a few months and there will be a viral trend going around to help those without water and you'll help that too. phew… talk about a run-on sentence. 

well i know this whole point of mine is starting to ramble and probably contradicts some, but hopefully i was able to write down and shed some new light or perspective on the matter that maybe you haven't thought about before. 

i stick to what i said at the beginning. i fully support the als foundation and the ice bucket challenge. i think it has been a brilliant campaign and it's an organization worth donating to. but i won't be participating in dumping a bucket of water on my head because i also support organizations that strive to make water available to those that don't have it and are dying because of it.