After weeks of anticipation for the global day of giving known as #GivingTuesday, Maranatha Volunteers International donors responded by raising a total of $105,201 for water wells in Kenya. This more than doubled the original $50,000 goal. The campaign was entirely driven online through social media, email, and Maranatha’s website. It was also boosted by matching funds from generous donors, which eventually totaled $40,000.
‘We are amazed at the outpouring of support for this year’s Giving Tuesday,’ said Don Noble, Maranatha president. ‘From those who offered matching funds to the individual fundraisers and all the people who gave, this campaign is a great example of what can be accomplished when we work together. The impact of this generosity will be felt by thousands of people in Kenya who will now have clean water to drink.’
This year’s #GivingTuesday campaign was complemented by an online tool that invited people to create personalized fundraisers then share it through social media and email with friends and family. Elizabeth Rabbitt, of Del Mar, California, took advantage of this and recruited 46 donors to her fundraiser, which raised $15,480 for Maranatha.
‘It was so easy to setup a campaign with the new fundraising site,’ said Rabbitt, who went on her first Maranatha projects, to São Tomé and PrÃncipe and Kenya, last year. ‘It was simple to use, and my neighborhood and friends were so generous and giving. Being able to track our progress in real time helped get folks excited, and I think knowing I am personally involved helped connect them to the cause. ‘
The funds from #GivingTuesday will provide multiple wells in parts of rural Kenya that have no water. Villagers, usually women and children, often must walk miles each day to collect water from dirty streams or dig down into dry riverbeds to scoop up whatever water seeps up. These sources can be contaminated, but it is the only option they have.
Maranatha has provided more than 1,000 water wells in countries around the world. In 2018, Maranatha launched an effort to drill wells in Kenya, where an estimated 19 million people lack access to clean water. Â