Hi! I want to tell you about the water project for a refugee community that I am involved in. Villa Clemen is a shanty-town built of plastic sheeting and wood, with no clean water, no waste or sewage system, and a sporadic supply of electricity. The 5,000 people who live here were forced to flee from their homes because of the violence and many have lost loved ones. Anyway... the number two killer for children worldwide is unsafe drinking water, and the current conditions in Villa Clemen are a breeding ground for bacteria and parasites, putting especially the children at great risk. Clean water is crucial, and we're now nearly there. By November we finished the first and most expensive phase of the project, a bore-hole 165 metres deep which is producing 6-7 litres of clean drinking water per second! That´s lots of water! (Actually, I was hoping to hit oil!) But we now urgently need to get this water to the community by purchasing a pump, building a tank, and putting a distribution system in place. All this we're hoping to do for around £15,000.

What do you want for Christmas? Well, as Christmas is only a few weeks away, we are now talking about how we'd like to give clean drinking water to at least some of these families as a Christmas present, and even help them keep a New Year´s resolution of not drinking anymore life-threatening water. So why not put this gift on your own Christmas list? I know how fun it is to receive all sorts of wrapped presents but why not ask someone who wants to buy you a present to give you just plain clean water instead! It is that simple... I would love to receive a present like that! Hint, hint!

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. If you're a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

So please do give the gift of water now and thank you on behalf of the refugees of Villa Clemen! Simon