It’s been a quiet few months for U2, but now that May has rolled around again it’s time for the 17th annual Build a Well for Bono’s Birthday fundraiser. It can be difficult to find an appropriate gift for the man who has everything, so we’re here to help. Fittingly, the theme for 2019 is “Love Is Bigger,” a popular refrain from last year’s Experience + Innocence Tour. As usual, the fundraiser will run the entire month of May, and will feature a full-day Tweetathon on May 10. This date will also see the start of a 10-day auction of rare memorabilia.
This year, the African Well Fund’s fundraiser will partner with The Outer Loop Theatre Experience. After the success of 2018’s project in Mloko, Tanzania, the organization will return to continue building clean water resources to meet the extended community’s needs. The goal for 2019 is to raise $15,000.
Since the campaign’s inception in 2003, U2 fans have raised over $270,000 to fund the construction of clean water wells and other sanitation projects benefiting more than 86,000 people throughout Africa, including Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
After making a gift to the fund, don’t forget to sign Bono’s birthday card. Each year, members of the African Well Fund handcraft a birthday card with donors’ birthday messages and present it to Bono in person.