# WaterAid chatbot links supporters with benefitting communities

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/02/09/wateraid-chatbot-links-supporters-benefitting-communities/
- Published: 2018-02-09T07:43:59+00:00
- Author: Melanie May

**WaterAid has launched a chatbot that connects supporters with the people they 
are helping.**

The charity worked with Facebook-approved developer, [The Bot Platform](https://thebotplatform.com/),
and Sellu, a farmer and fisherman from the remote village of Tombohuaun in Sierra
Leone’s eastern province, to create the chatbot Talk to Sellu, which launched on
Facebook Messenger in early December.

[[

Talk to Sellu via chatbot

## Advertisement

Users are introduced to Sellu – as well as members of the wider community – and,
once [subscribed to the bot](https://m.me/TalkToSellu), taken on a unique journey
to the heart of village life in Tombohuaun, the focus community for [WaterAid](https://www.wateraid.org/uk/)‘
s winter fundraising appeal, [Untapped](https://www.wateraid.org/uk/tombohuaun-untapped).

Through a series of messages, photos and video content, Sellu takes users on a guided
tour of his home, introduces them to his wife Fatu and daughter Nancy and even teaches
them how to say ‘hello’ in the local language, ‘Mende’. There are also updates on
the new water and sanitation infrastructures being built with help from WaterAid
supporters. Users will ultimately be asked if they would like to donate towards 
WaterAid’s Untapped appeal to help bring clean water, decent toilets good hygiene
to communities like Sellu’s.

[[

Talking to Sellu via Messenger

Dan Gray, WaterAid Digital Engagement Manager, said:

> “At the moment, the predominant use of chatbots is for service handling, with 
> bots trained to learn answers to basic FAQs, or use machine learning to comb the
> internet for content. We decided to take a different approach, and work within
> the limitations of the technology to create some good, old-fashioned storytelling;
> immersing our digital audiences in the life of Sellu – a farmer, fisherman father-
> of-three from Tombohuaun, Sierra Leone.
> “The ability to continuously interact 
> with large cohorts of engaged digital users makes the chatbot a powerful tool 
> for awareness, activation and retention all in one and we hope people will be 
> encouraged to donate to our winter fundraising appeal, Untapped.”

‘Talk to Sellu’ is being promoted across WaterAid’s social media channels as well
as via email and digital campaigns as part of WaterAid’s Untapped Appeal. Every 
£1 the public donates to the appeal by 31 January 2018 will be matched by the UK
Government.

## Campaign featured at IWITOT

This campaign was subsequently featured at IWITOT (I Wish I’d Thought of That) 2019
by Wayne Murray.

Watch why he wished he’d thought of this campaign.

 _Main image credit: WaterAid/ Nana Kofi Acquah. Nancy and Lucy and their parents
Sellu and Fatu. Tombohuaun_