More than a dozen Hawaii restaurants have signed up for Tap Project Hawaii, part of the global Tap Project 2010 effort to provide clean, safe drinking water to children around the world.

They were recruited by 1013, the advertising agency of record for UNICEF in Hawaii, which also serves as UNICEF's boots on the ground here, since it has no official presence of its own.

More than a billion people have gained access to better drinking water and sanitation facilities in 15 years of UNICEF's efforts, according to press materials.

Last year, Project Tap's more than 2,300 restaurants and their customers raised more than $855,000 for clean water and sanitation for children in five countries.

This is 1013's second year of organizing the project, which takes place during World Water Week, March 21 to 27 this year.

Participating restaurants will ask customers to donate $1 for the tap water they normally receive for free. Larger donations will be cheerfully accepted.

David Ciano and Jennifer Tanabe of 1013 contacted UNICEF in late 2008 to get the ball rolling for last year. They loved the project's simplicity and effectiveness, and that it wasn't asking too much of each donor, she said.

The agency ratcheted up the educational component this year, working with Mid Pacific Institute and St. Francis School on ways to integrate Project Tap and its root cause into the curriculum. Students from both schools will be designing table tents and collection canisters that restaurateurs will use to promote and gather donations.

Lane Muraoka, owner of Big City Diner's multiple locations, wants a canister for each table and larger ones for hostess stations, said Tanabe. Additionally, “;Lane's going to do it through the end of March; a couple (restaurants) will continue to collect as long as they can”; since the deadline for the restaurants to turn the funds over to UNICEF is at the end of April, she said.

People can donate directly, via check or credit card or via text messaging, though the restaurants would prefer the donations be made into one of their canisters for the “;friendly competition”; that goes on to see who can amass the largest donation, said Tanabe.

The agency can still accept more restaurant participants, who turn over collected funds to UNICEF directly—1013 does not collect the donations.

“;It is a little bit of the honor system going on; the restaurant does have to follow through,”; she said.

“;We are witnessing unbelievable support from our local volunteers and restaurants,”; Ciano said in a statement. “;We hope the people of Hawaii will show the same amount of aloha by dining out and donating to this great cause during World Water Week.”;

Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin. Reach her by e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).