Giving Water and Health to Those in Need

Most of us take clean water for granted. However, not everyone in the world can do the same.

Smile Generation’s trusted offices have partnered with the non-profit charity: water since 2009. charity water believes in a world where everyone can access clean and safe drinking water, and so do we. By leveraging the efforts of our offices, dentists, team members, and patients, we have brought clean and safe drinking water to 300,000+ people worldwide—and you can help us increase that number even more.

Our Partnership

In April 2013, Smile Generation kicked off the "100 Wells for Ethiopia" campaign to raise over $1 million to fund 100 wells in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. One hundred percent of the donations went to charity: water to build sustainable, community-owned water projects.

Our teams' hard work, passion, and enthusiasm provided 43,000+ people in the Tigray region of the country access to clean, safe water. We've also supported a drilling rig that allows local partners in Ethiopia to dig more wells faster. These accomplishments made us want to do more.

"Members of our team and I have seen firsthand the impact that having access to clean water can have on the people in Ethiopia. I'm inspired by the efforts of all involved in reaching this incredible accomplishment, but we're not done yet," said Stephen Thorne, founder of Smile Generation, about the project.

In addition to our work in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, the combined efforts of Smile-Generation-trusted offices and patients also provided clean drinking water to people in Cambodia, Central African Republic, Congo, Haiti, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

But we don’t do this alone. Thousands of Smile-Generation-trusted offices’ patients have contributed, too. In 2023, our Give Water, Give Health campaign raised over $1.1 million, which funded projects in Ethiopia.

"I am so excited that MY dentist has chosen charity: water for donations. I love charity: water and the work they do," patient Karen S. from Puyallup Smiles Dentistry and Orthodontics said.

How You Can Help

Smile Generation-trusted offices also donate money to charity: water with every CEREC® restoration and every time one of our patients initiates orthodontic treatment. By getting the treatment you need, you indirectly contribute to charity: water and provide clean drinking water for those who don't have access to it.

Another way you can help provide people with clean water is to Give up a Birthday. Actors Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith did it in 2010. Then, the Smiths invited the top fundraisers for charity: water to accompany them to Ethiopia, including Dr. John Nosti of San Marcos Dental Group and Orthodontics, a Smile Generation-trusted office.  The group visited the new drilling rig in Tigray. 

"The best part of the trip was seeing the difference that clean water makes. There is so much poverty in Ethiopia; however, seeing the difference that clean water can make left me feeling optimistic,” Dr. Nosti said of his experience in Tigray.

Access to clean and safe water transforms communities. People become healthier and happier. Even better, some of the children in the town might never know what it's like to be without water.

Clean water access also gives people in these communities the gift of time from hours previously spent retrieving water from a distant water source. When people get this time back, children can get an education; women can provide more care to their families, make a living, or even start a hobby. Returning that time might mean adding more hope and joy to their lives, which we think is worth doing. Maybe you do, too.

If you feel moved to help in this effort, Smile Generation and charity: water would love to hear from you. Share a picture of you donating and tag @smilegeneration @charitywater. Let’s work together to create a world where everyone can access clean and safe drinking water.