Last month Clay Aiken endorsed UNICEF's Tap Project, to raise money and awareness about those who do not have access to safe drinking water. Now Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Connelly, star of films such as A Beautiful Mind, Hulk and Blood Diamond, is the latest celebrity to bring attention to the issue. Connelly is working with charity: water, a non-profit organization devoted to providing clean water to those in impoverished counties, and has filmed a commercial on behalf of the organization.

In the commercial, Connelly takes her two children from their home to the streets of New York, where they collect water from ponds in Central Park which Connelly is then shown serving to her kids. The accompanying text reads "Imagine drinking this. 1.1 billion people don't have access to safe drinking water."

Jennifer, along with commercial creator Nigel Lythgoe (the producer behind American Idol) and Hotel Rwanda director Terry George wanted to show the circumstances millions of people in poor countries deal with everyday, and placed it in the New York setting to shed some light on the severity of the situation. It's probably safe to assume that unless you've visited an area where this is a daily reality for residents or seen it firsthand for yourself, most of us feel like it's a million miles away.

"We wanted to bring the harsh reality we saw in Africa home to our friends," explained advert creator Nigel Lythgoe. "The reality that millions of women and children walk miles each day to collect murky green water from swamps. Water that kills kids. We wanted to help put an end to it."

A $20 donation can provide clean drinking water to someone in need for 20 years and all money goes directly to fund clean water projects in areas such as Africa, India and Central America.

Watch Jennifer's commercial below and hit the jump to visit charity: water directly to learn more and make your donation.

» charity: water (Official Site)