Not just a pretty face!
When COVID-19 hit Ireland back in March, lockdown happened fast. A number of people decided to ride out the wave and stay where they were – this included Matt Damon. At the time he was in Ireland in the midst of filming a Ridley Scott movie – The Last Duel which was suspended due to Covid-19. As the Guardian put it, “he decided to stay in a rented house ringed by sea, wooded hills and a picturesque village, the Hollywood A-lister emerged for strolls, for runs, for coffee, and wowed locals by giving every impression of being normal, earning him an appellation upgrade to Matt O’Damon” [1] which I thought was hilarious.
That all said, as we were all swooning over him and delighted he was enjoying Irelands coast and warm hospitality there’s something a lot of people do not know about Matt Damon.
Matt Damon is the co-founder of Water.org. Water.org is a global charity that works to bring water and sanitation to the world – making it safe, accessible and cost effective. The charity works to “give our everything every day to empower people in need with these life-changing resources – giving women hope, children health and families a bright future” [2]. Incredibly, Water.org have enabled over 29 million people globally to access clean sanitation and drinking water by providing affordable loans and financial solutions to empower people to put these into their homes [2].
Water.org recognises the magnitude of the global water crisis and their work has taken them to Peru, Brazil, Ghana, India, Bangladesh and many more water struggling societies.
It’s extremely refreshing to see the work and impact that Water.org has had on developing countries to enable people to have these basic needs and how Matt has influenced this through his talent and stardom bringing more recognition to the global Water Crisis.
Thank you Matt – we are still swooning but for many reasons now!
By Ruth Clinton
Water Innovation Officer
Cover Image: Matt Damon in Dalkey, photographed by local resident Siobhan Berry. Photograph: @mummycooks/Instagram
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/14/ireland-swoons-for-matt-damons-lockdown-love-affair-with-village