ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I focus on water aid organizations and the role of charitable aid and philanthropy in the historical present. First, I focus on notions of corporate philanthropy and aid, asking the question, how did we get here? Next, I provide a political economic context and theories to be present throughout the remainder of the book. This discussion on political economics leads into the prevalence of the volunteer market and a history of sport-based charity and its development in the Global North. I conclude by introducing how these charities utilize and operationalize the active body as a conduit for fundraising. If one were to perform a Google search for “water crisis,” one would receive approximately 7,250,000 search results. The inquisitive individual could then click on the Google link for organizations such as Charity: Water, A Glimmer of Hope, Take Part, or Water for People; it does not matter which organization he or she chooses, because all of them will explain that one billion people in the world go without safe, clean drinking water every single day.
