Now more than ever, we all need reminders like this one:

“Every stable country, every nation lifted out of poverty, every region assisted through a time of natural disaster is a potential trade partner, a possible geopolitical ally, a future friend. Leaders ignore such challenges at the risk of spurning opportunity. Some will say that the burden is too great, that we can't afford to help everyone, that the world's greatest problems have always been thus and forever will be so. This is the ultimate in shortsightedness…”

At WaterAid, we agree. We believe that helping to lift everyone out of poverty is good for us all, at home and abroad, and that smart investments in lasting change can end the world’s greatest problems once and for all. That's why I felt it was so important to join 49 other nonprofit leaders in signing an open letter to the next President of the United States.

The next leader of our country must be bold. He or she must be willing to tackle the most serious and complicated global issues. She or he will need to prioritize international development, so that we can continue to our work of transforming the lives of the world’s poorest communities. We’ve simply made too much progress to turn back now.

WaterAid is out to achieve an ambitious goal: make sure everyone, everywhere has clean water and safe toilets, and can practice good hygiene, by 2030. It may seem like an insurmountable task, but we know it can be done. We also know that we cannot do it alone. The next President of the United States will need to have vision, leadership and generosity. We should not refuse to act because the problems seem too great; we must act, because we can’t afford not to do so.

Please take a few minutes to read the entire letter, signed by me and 49 other leaders of US-based NGOs, to the next President of United States. Join us in asking that our leader be a person of action and encourage him or her to keep those living without the basic services that we all take for granted--yet which save our lives every day-- at the forefront of US foreign policy.