Rachel Beckwith inspired people� to donate money to bring clean water to an African village. Source: AP
AN American girl who aimed to raise $US300 to bring clean water to an African village, but then died in a car crash before achieving her goal, has inspired 10,000 people to donate more than $US400,000 to the cause.
Rachel Beckwith, 9, set up the appeal in honour of her ninth birthday, asking her friends and family to donate to the Charity: Water campaign instead of buying her birthday presents.
"I found out that millions of people don't live to see their 5th birthday. And why? Because they didn't have access to clean, safe water so I'm celebrating my birthday like never before," she wrote on a website set up by Rachel and her mother before her June 12 birthday.
By her birthday, $US220 was raised and the page was closed.
On July 20, Rachel was fatally injured in a 13-car pileup in Bellevue, Washington state.
At the weekend, she was taken off life support and a pastor from her church arranged for the donation page to be reopened.
By Wednesday afternoon, some 10,000 people had donated more than $US400,000 in Rachel's honour, many in gifts of $US9 each.
Earlier in the week, Rachel's mother, Samantha Paul, who was also injured in the accident, thanked donors online for their generosity.
"I am in awe of the overwhelming love to take my daughter's dream and make it a reality. In the face of unexplainable pain you have provided undeniable hope," Paul wrote.
"I know Rachel is smiling!"
Her little sister, Sienna, was also in the car but not seriously injured.
The total raised by Rachel's appeal for Charity: Water has been growing exponentially since the weekend, increasing by nearly $US100,000 on Wednesday.
"We've all been so deeply moved by Rachel's unselfishness," said nonprofit founder Scott Harrison, who used his own 34th and 35th birthdays to raise money to bring clean drinking water to Africa.
Charity: Water estimates each $US20 donation is enough to provide one person with clean drinking water for 20 years.
In the past five years, the New York-based charity has raised $US48 million ($A43.7 million) and supported 3962 water projects in Africa, Asia and Central America.
The money is spent mostly to dig wells, improve water systems or catch rainwater and the projects usually serve entire communities.
Rachel's fundraising campaign has quickly become the largest in the history of Charity: Water, which depends mostly on individuals to invite their friends and families to give money to celebrate a birthday or wedding or other event, said spokeswoman Sarah Cohen.
Rachel was inspired to support the charity when Harrison spoke at her church.
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