AWF is excited to announce its 19th annual Build a Well for Bono’s Birthday campaign. Beginning May 1st, AWF invites U2 fans from around the world to donate funds in honor of the musician’s 61st birthday on May 10th. This year AWF is once again partnering with The Outer Loop Theater Experience to build a well in Msona,Tanzania.
This is AWF’s third collaboration with The Outer Loop. The first two projects were built in the village of Mloka, providing a waterpoint at a health center as well as a community well and the rehabilitation of a school waterpoint. Msona is also located in the Mwaseni Ward of Tanzania ten miles from Mloka. The town has a population of approximately 2500 and the well will be located on the grounds of the secondary school. Currently, the school does not have any water for toilet facilities and the village does not have a clean, safe water access point. “The communities we work with in Tanzania are profoundly grateful for the partnership we have maintained with African Well Fund,” says Outer Loop managing director Rachael Yoder. “The last three projects funded by AWF in partnership with The Outer Loop have directly impacted the lives of over 6,000 people. We hear constantly how quality of life, health, and education have improved in Mloka thanks to these water projects. This next project will broaden the scope of assistance to a neighboring community in need, and will directly improve the lives of the Msona community; primarily school-aged children and their families.”
Since 2003, AWF has joined together with the U2 fan community to celebrate and honor Bono’s birthday by raising funds for clean water and sanitation projects. Once again we asked this community for help in suggesting a theme. The winning theme, Carry Each Other, came from long time U2 fan and African Well Fund supporter, Marilyn Lynch. “Bono’s words from the song One, “carry each other,” are a reminder of the deceptively simple core concept that we’re all in it together and that helping one another is both a responsibility and a privilege,” Lynch explains. “That’s the spirit I admire in the African Well Fund, with its origins in a small group of people who had U2 in common and channeled that commonality to make a real difference in the world. Something as seemingly simple as songs can inspire and uplift people, and something as simple as access to water can transform lives”.
Though Bono’s birthday is May 10th, the fundraiser will run through the end of May. The goal is set for $12,000, the remaining amount needed to fully fund the project. The Outer Loop has a team on the ground, ready to go and the project will be implemented this summer if the goal is achieved.