putting down the smart phone with the UNICEF tap project

I think most people who are smart phone users could argue that they have made our lives easier in many ways. I love having a grocery list that can sync up with my husband so we always know what we need at any given time. Same goes for a synced calendar. I like having a camera on the fly and having the ability to communicate with people in many different methods. GPS comes in handy constantly.

But there are things I do on my phone that are meaningless, and sometimes I find myself doing them like a robot in a trance. I'm looking at you, mah jong games. I will sometimes even split my focus, playing a game or reading an article while also watching TV. Or worst of all, talking to someone in person while checking Instagram.

So when I came across this program from UNICEF called the Tap Project which donates clean drinking water to children in exchange for 10 minutes without touching your phone, I was intrigued. Check out this quick video below.

UNICEF is the United Nations Children's Fund, and they work in many nations to provide access to clean drinking water and sanitation. We take for granted in this country that we have clean water - the most basic need that we have. I fill my water bottle at work and home countless times every day - it's the primary beverage I drink. I take a shower with clean water every morning and wash dishes and clothes with clean water without thinking about it. 

In the last 24 years, UNICEF and its partners have helped 2 billion people get access to clean water. And their work continues.

Visit tap.unicefusa.org/mobile on your smart phone, put your phone down somewhere steady, and press the button to begin. (You can't do this if you keep your phone in your pocket or purse. Wait until you have a place to set it down.)

After 10 minutes, you've given a child a day's worth of clean drinking water. While I did mine, a few facts popped up on the screen before it went dark and one of those were that 4 people were going without their phones at the same time in Pennsylvania. 4 people? That's pathetic. We can do better than that.

The next time you pick up your phone, think about how blessed you are to even have a phone to use. Think about how there are millions of people in the world today who don't even know what a smart phone is because they are too busy trying to get clean water to drink.