billion people live without basic sanitation 11% of the global population are without access to imporved sources of drinking water. Today 2.5 billion people, including almost one billion children, live without even basic sanitation. The water and sanitation crisis claims more lives than through disease than any other claims through guns. More children die from water related illnesses than AIDS, malaraia and measles combined. Every 20 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease. That's 1.5 million preventable deaths each year. The provision of improved sanitation and safe drinking water could reduce diarrhoeal diseases by nearly 90 per cent. Addressing the world need for improved water is a wonderful not-for-profit organization, Wine to Water. Wine To Water ‘s focus is “providing clean water to needy people around the world.” Their first fundraiser event took place in 2004 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The concept was originally to put on benefit wine events, such as tastings, then use all of the money raised to support water projects around the world. They have worked in many countries including Sudan, India, Cambodia, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Haiti. Interested parties can make a one-time or monthly donations and can also host a wine tasting event or donate an entire shift’s worth of tips. The company allows you to get creative and to use social gatherings as a tool for promoting awareness and raising funds. It truely is a worthy cause and unique approach.