$1 dollar may not seem like a lot to you, but for kids like Yolanda (pictured), $1 can be life changing. Now imagine if everyone you knew also gave $1. Imagine the potential.

Oxfam’s $1 Day is a new and exciting national fundraising event with the aim of raising $500,000 for clean water projects. $1 Day is officially on Tuesday 31 May, but you can get involved at any time throughout the month.

But what difference can $1 actually make?

A lot! Especially when combined with everyone else’s $1.

Think about it. If everyone you knew gave just $1, then everyone they knew gave a $1 and so on — together we’d be able to make a big difference in the lives of people living in poverty. Take a look for yourself:

Thanks to the generous support of people like you, Yolanda (pictured above) was able to use her tippy-tap to stop deadly diseases from reaching her and her family. A tippy-tap lets Yolanda and her community wash her hands — a simple technique that has a huge impact.

Globally, diarrhoea and other diseases caused by dirty water take the life of a child every twenty seconds. Even worse, these children are the smallest and most vulnerable — aged under five. At six-years-old, Yolanda is defying the odds and has outlived a deadly statistic; and it all begins with a $1.

Get involved

Anyone can get involved in Oxfam’s $1 Day. Why not get together with your friends and family, work colleagues or your local school and host an event. After all, everyone’s small change added together can make a big difference in the lives of those that need it most. Need some help? We’ve got you covered:

Host an event for your friends and family:

Pick something fun to do. Use your creativity and play up to your strengths. For instance, you could host a water-based movie marathon with a gold coin entry fee (as if you need an excuse to re-watch the ‘80s classic Splash). Love baking cakes? Get busy in the kitchen and sell to your colleagues for a $1 a slice. It’s a recipe for success! Register your $1 Day event now.

Get your local school involved:

Raising money can be a meaningful form of action and can help young people develop a range of valuable skills. Talk to your school about holding a $1 Day event in May. Host a ‘blue clothes day’ and collect gold coin donations. Or get the kids to build a tippy-tap and host a sausage sizzle. Learn more and grab your Oxfam Schools $1 Day resources.

Get your workmates involved:

Throw a $1 Day with your workmates. Keep it simple or make a day of it. Why not set up a water tax? Each time your colleagues turn on a tap they make a donation. Ever wanted to throw water balloons at your boss? Now’s your chance! Get a few members of your staff to volunteer for a good cause (and a lot of fun) and ask for a $1 a balloon.

Make a donation:

It’s easy. You can either text the word ‘dollar’ to 0477 333 444 or hop over or visit one dollar day online.

Where the money goes:

All of the money you raise goes towards Oxfam Australia’s life changing work around the world like safe and clean drinking water. One in eight people cannot access clean water (WHO, 2015). No access to clean water has claimed more lives over the past century than any other health issue.

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Ready access to safe, clean drinking water is something we take for granted. But in too many countries where we work, dirty water is keeping communities in poverty.

With just $1, you can help make a big difference.