Matt Damon is advocating for clean water and plumbing throughout the world as part of the charity he co-founded, Water.org. He appeared in a video for CNN (shown above) to show how difficult it is for people in rural northern Ethiopia to collect water for themselves and their families. People, including schoolchildren, walk hours and carry heavy jugs in order to get dirty water from a hand dug well. The risk of water-borne diseases, like dysentery and cholera, from the visibly muddy water is high. Water.org strives to bring awareness to the need for clean, potable water throughout the world as well as build safe community wells and toilets. They built a well in Adenifas, Ethiopia, and you can see the building site and celebration in the first video below. (It’s a longer version of the CNN video and the well-building starts at about 3:00 minutes in.)
Damon is expecting his fourth child with wife Luciana, which will be his third biological child. (He also has a step daughter from Luciana’s first marriage.) He’s credited Luciana with holding their family together around his varied work schedule and said that they’re now preparing for their next little tornado.” The couple was spotted at John Krasinski and Emily Blunt’s wedding at George Clooney’s estate in Italy last month and were later seen on a family vacation in Hawaii. Damon is certainly keeping busy this summer.
I’m a sucker for anything Damon does and it works out particularly well when he makes great movies and advocates for such worthy causes.
Update: This post has been up for like an hour and has one comment. I just wanted to note that the only reason I know about this video is because I get Water.org’s newsletter. It’s not like the charity is issuing press releases to the celebrity news outlets, although maybe they should be. Also, I just read this really good article on Pajiba reviewing a new documentary the reveals how bottled water is a rip off that hurts communities and the environment. It’s only moderately related, but it’s worth considering when you realize the lengths that people in remote areas go though to get water.
Video: Water.org co-founders Gary White and Matt Damon project sites in Ethiopia. (longer version of CNN video above)
Video: About Water.org
Good for him. Such a basic necessity like clean water is totally taken for granted in North America. It’s great that he’s bringing attention to this very worthy project.
This past Spring a major water main burst and contaminated the reservoir that sources drinking water to most eastern MA. For a few days I had to boil my water to do ANYTHING-wash dishes, shower, wash hands, brush teeth etc etc. I really reminded me how much we take clean water for granted. Hell, I couldn’t even handle a few days of that and we still HAD water-it was just the inconvenience of having to boil it. I can’t imagine having to do that every day.
Anyway, good on Damon for bringing attention to this.
Seriously, thank you for posting this! I think Matt Damon doesn’t have Jolie-style starpower, but he is equally deserving of attention and praise for his charity work. I have been following water.org as well(and no longer drink bottled water as a result of the information therein)! Hopefully at least one or two people see this information on Celebitchy and come to the same conclusion.
Don’t read too much into the lack of comments, CB. What can you really say about him other than he’s just all-around amazingly awesome? Cute, sexy, smart, kind, humble… gah.
It’s unbelievable how much i love this man. His has a great career, he is a wonderful actor, hangs out with all the power people in Hollywood and doenst look like he has a bad bone in his body. He could be a major bitch, feeling entitled about everything, cause lets face it, he has the talent to back it up (unlike others…), but he isn’t. He is sweet, smart, and cares about others, lives a down to earth life, and fights for what he believes in. I just really really really love him. =)
Posts like this are the reason Celebitchy is the only gossip site I read regularly (ok, daily :P). I love that you include meaningful, substantive stories with the entertaining fluff.
Am totally in love with Matt Damon. Hot, funny humanitarian with a bunch o’ kids. Perfect 🙂
you can never go wrong with stories on matt damon! lovely man…
Celebitchy, thanks for posting this..it took everything in my power to drag myself away from Britney, Kelsey & the Kardashians, but I’m glad I did.
I loved Matt anyway but love him more for bringing this onto the public radar.
OMG, it is heartbreaking to see the conditions that have become acceptable and normal for those people.
I dated a guy briefly many years ago who is tight with Matt, from childhood, and now works closely with him.
He said that he is as amazing and cool a person in his private life and in his real relationships as his public persona suggests.
I really love this guy, he indeed walks the walk, He not only gives money, but his time.
Why can’t Clooney take Damon as his date for the humanitarian Emmy? He’s much more deserving of any kind of public recognition than Cocanalis.
And CB, I’d like to echo other commenters, it’s posts like this one that make your site what it is, in addition to the snark.
unlike some celebrities he’s not surrounded by controversy. He brings creditability to everything he does. He’s an all around great guy.
Thank-you for bring our attention to a very worthy cause.
*heart flutters* he’s so hot and a humanitarian to boot. I have given up bottled water, just throw in a little lemon or lime juice into tap water and it tastes great. I will be visiting my sponsored child in Ethiopia this year and will see up close what her water and living conditions are like. And if I run into Matt Damon, I will throw him a kiss for you, CB, as its been mentioned that you are his fangirl 🙂
I adore this man. Ever since Good Will Hunting he’s been on my radar. I bought Howard Zinn’s ‘A people’s history of the United States’ which Damon narrated, and it was amazing. I had no idea he co-founded this organization. So thanks for the post.
Ah Luciana, you lucky bitch!!!!
@ Canadian Chick
I would not give up on bottled water. Tap water has fluoride.. its so damaging to your health. (stay away from toothpaste and mouthwash that contain fluoride also.