Eshtine

The African Well Fund

Many people watched The Diary of Bono and Chris Tucker: Aiding Africa on MTV in 2002. They watched Bono, Tucker and then-Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill tour a newly built well in Uganda, and learned more wells could be built for only a thousand dollars at a time. Each could save hundreds of lives; many Africans are dying of diseases spread by unclean water. They heard Bono say, "I just wanted to show what a little amount of money can do to a lot of lives."

Many of the people who watched that show felt the way U2 fan Joanna Sanchez felt afterward: "Maybe there is something I can do." Sanchez spread the word among online fans that she wanted to start a fund to build wells in Africa. "It was like wildfire. In a matter of six weeks fifty people had joined" a mailing list on Yahoo Groups discussing the project, according to Julie Cook. Cook was among those who watched Diary and felt the tug to do something. She surfs sites for info on U2 and chats with fellow fans, but the band's example makes her feel she should also be giving something back. "When I'm looking up U2 stuff on the web sites I'm thinking, 'Why am I spending my time on this?' I'm totally addicted but I feel guilty! We really, really do want to help."

Cook talked to @U2 recently about the African Well Fund, the project started by U2 fans who shared a desire to aid Africa in a concrete way. Only a few months old, the fund has already passed a significant milestone. A thousand dollars has been collected, enough to build their first well. Cook said they were aiming high: "I think there's a potential to reach a hundred thousand dollars. I want people to think the sky's the limit. How many people can we potentially give life to?"

Full article here.