Help Steven Hille Build a Waterpump in Uganda

Steven Hille, one of our Travel Massive Berlin insiders has turned his travel blogging profession into a way to help support a Uganda community living in poverty.

Travel Massive’s Mission is to unearth and connect travel insiders in every city in the world in order to empower change in travel. We are proud to share inspiring stories from our community members that help to inspire and empower change in travel. In order to give you a bit more information about Steven and his recent initiative to build a water pump in a village in Uganda, we’ve asked him a couple questions.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I few years ago I started a blog about travelling and sustainabilty. It is a german-speaking blog titled “Funkloch” – you have a “Funkloch” when you have no service at all. If you have no service, you don’t get any notifications and you can relax and enjoy your life in the here and now.

Is there a unique story as to why you’re crowdfunding for Uganda?

While volunteering in Uganda I asked local people what they wished for the future, the answer was always “water” or “rain”. The lack of water is not just a problem for agriculture but also for the people themselves. Rainy season lasts for about five months of the year, but during the dry season there is no water at all.

This made me think, how secondary are our first world problems?

6.000 liters of water cost around 40 Euros. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but for the people in Uganda it’s a lot of money. They earn about 100 Euros a month. While I was there, after only a few days the 6.000 liters of water was gone. To save money we bought some cans, borrowed a van from a friend and called all men and kids to look for water for the people. We found an old and dirty waterhole.

The result: 2 hours of work, 7 people in service and only 540 liters of water.

A solution was needed.

How is your initiative financed?

When I still was in Uganda we met some engineers and had offers from three fountain builders. The plan is set it up, but now we need your help.

What needs to be built: A fountain in 300 meters distance from the village with a hand pump and an electric pump.

I started to donate with friends, family members and my blog readers at BetterPlace.org. By now we’ve collected nearly € 7.500. It’s a huge success. But we will need more money to complete the project.

Can you share an inspiring story when you felt your project was most fulfilling?

The crowdfunding doesn’t work on its own. I have to fight for every single cent. In some months where I couldn’t find any time to push the project further, there were no donations at all. It’s hard to find new ideas to boost the project every day.

A few weeks ago I woke up with a headache thinking about my project. When I checked my e-mails a few seconds later I noticed a 794 Euro donation to my fountain project. This was the most inspiring moment. There was a person, unknown by me, who believes in my project and the good things we are doing. This was the best motivation!

Do you have any tips for aspiring do-gooders who want to give back or start their own social project?

1. Think about your project, make a plan and write down realistic goals.
2. Don’t be naive. It was one of my biggest problems.
3. Speak with other people about your project and collect ideas.
4. A good crowdfunding program starts with a good campaign.
5. Give something back. People want to get information about your project, they want to see the development. It’s always good to give them something small – so that they not only have a good feeling but also a small gift.

How can someone help or get involved?

Talk about it, share and donate!

Purposeful Traveler is a series that profiles inspiring people or projects making a purposeful change to the way we travel. You can connect with Steven via Travel Massive, Facebook and Twitter. If you know of a Purposeful Traveler who should be featured, email us.