• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, March 23, 2011

Add Levi's to the list of brands looking to raise awareness of the world's water woes.

The jean marketer has already generated plenty of buzz with its Levi's Water20 by pledging to wash jeans less, take shorter showers and adopt better laundry habits.

Levi's says it will donate $250,000 to Water.org through this initiative, which will provide at least 200 million liters of water to communities in need.

"Most people are still fairly uninformed about the world's water issues," Mike McCamon, Water.org's chief community officer, tells Marketing Daily. "We've got this icon of an African woman carrying a jerrycan on her head, and the problem is really far larger than just Africa. There are issues in Central America, Haiti ... it's a long list, and we were thrilled to partner with Levi's on this, since they had already successfully engaged people on the issue with their Water

Prizes for the game, which runs through April, include free jeans, as well as a shot at a trip to a community receiving access to clean water from Water.org, so the winners can "experience firsthand the excitement and joy of community members as their lives are forever changed."

Water.org, founded by actor Matt Damon and environmentalist Gary White, says one in eight people lack access to safe water, 2.5 billion don't have a toilet, and four million people die each year from preventable, waterborne diseases.

McCamon, who says the group has worked in the past with Zynga, which makes such games as FarmVille for social media, adds that while one might expect a strong Gen Y following, the group's mission really seems to resonate best with people 50 and older, as well as women, older especially moms.

Other marketers that have rallied around the water cause include Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble, through its PUR water brand.