A crash course in changing the world.
Be Remarkable
Lack of food and especially fresh water in impoverished countries like Africa are often seen as less vital causes in light of many of the other issues like the epidemic level of HIV/AIDS--Things could not be farther from the truth. Without food and clean water, people become desperate, violent, and sick. The problem is that clean water is not glamorous--or at least is wasn't. Of all the great efforts that have been made to make clean water available, Scott Harrison and his NPO Charity Water have done the greatest service. Not only providing clean water for tens of thousands, but by also creating global awareness of the need for clean water.
If you are not aware of Charity Water, you should be. Scott Harrison started his career promoting top nightclubs in NYC. His life was changed when he joined a humanitarian operation called Mercy Ships. He saw the need for clean water and started Charity Water. His plan was simple but it was executed perfectly. Using his talent at promotion, he called attention to the cause with wild success. Charity Water was founded in 2005. In their most recent fiscal report, 2008, they report having collected over four million dollars in donations and have dug countless wells for schools and villages all over the world.
Scott Harrison's success was due to his remarkable campaign. Remarkable literally meaning, worth making a remark about. Scott Harrison captured the public's attention; He gave them something to talk about. He make a public spectacle of what was going on in Africa and the word caught on. If you haven't seen any of the videos that Charity Water has released I highly recommend them.
The one thing that should be taken from Scott Harrison's work is; Be remarkable. Get out there and make noise! Make sure that people hear about your project, tell everyone you know. Raise awareness for yourself and for the issue that you want to solve.
Charity Water Main Site: http://www.charitywater.org/
Public Ads: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AqlLyLeJuQ
Take a look, think about how design and marketing can help you help others.
If you are not aware of Charity Water, you should be. Scott Harrison started his career promoting top nightclubs in NYC. His life was changed when he joined a humanitarian operation called Mercy Ships. He saw the need for clean water and started Charity Water. His plan was simple but it was executed perfectly. Using his talent at promotion, he called attention to the cause with wild success. Charity Water was founded in 2005. In their most recent fiscal report, 2008, they report having collected over four million dollars in donations and have dug countless wells for schools and villages all over the world.
Scott Harrison's success was due to his remarkable campaign. Remarkable literally meaning, worth making a remark about. Scott Harrison captured the public's attention; He gave them something to talk about. He make a public spectacle of what was going on in Africa and the word caught on. If you haven't seen any of the videos that Charity Water has released I highly recommend them.
The one thing that should be taken from Scott Harrison's work is; Be remarkable. Get out there and make noise! Make sure that people hear about your project, tell everyone you know. Raise awareness for yourself and for the issue that you want to solve.
Charity Water Main Site: http://www.charitywater.org/
Public Ads: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AqlLyLeJuQ
Take a look, think about how design and marketing can help you help others.
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Comment by Juliana Aldous Atkinson on March 28, 2010 at 2:35am -
I'm a big fan of Harrison's too!
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Comment by Shakwei Mbindyo on March 28, 2010 at 6:24pm -
+1KS. This is a remarkable post :). I could not agree more re: point of focus for developing nations. The diseases commonly in focus (HIV, TB, Malaria etc) are considered diseases of poverty i.e diseases that are more prevalent among the poor than among wealthier people. In many cases poverty is the leading risk factor for such diseases.
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Comment by Wintermute on March 28, 2010 at 7:24pm -
It is a nasty cycle, all of the problems are interconnected--however that is a good thing as well. If impoverished nations could get clean water and food then the diseases rates are going to fall.
This is a really interesting video. One of my favorite points that Emily Oster makes is that if you can raise the life expectancy people are less likely to take risks when it comes to diseases like HIV.
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Comment by Alex Stovell on March 28, 2010 at 7:55pm -
Thanks for sharing this Wintermute - a very inspirational post :)
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Comment by Luke Sokolewicz on April 7, 2010 at 12:27am -
Thanks for a great post. What you said at the end especially inspired me. Someone's getting a vision rune ;)
"Make sure that people hear about your project, tell everyone you know. Raise awareness for yourself and for the issue that you want to solve."
Awesome.
Luke
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Comment by Michele Baron on May 8, 2010 at 4:10am -
good work
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