Pool the cost of a journey that matters
From Hajj to a family reunion to bringing a relative home, raise the money for a meaningful trip with one link your community can trust.
About Travel & Transportation fundraising in Africa
Some journeys are too important to put off and too heavy to carry alone. A father has waited years for his Hajj. A daughter has won a place at a university across the border but cannot cover the ticket and the visa. A grandmother needs to fly home for treatment she can only get in another city. These are not holidays. They are the trips that hold a family together, and SenteMe is built to help your people pool the cost without anyone feeling cornered.
SenteMe is a mobile-money-native fundraising platform live across 12 African countries. You create a travel campaign for free, in English or French, and you get one link to share on WhatsApp, in the family group, at the mosque or the church, or with classmates and colleagues. Contributors send mobile money the way they already pay for everything else. Every shilling, every contribution, and every withdrawal shows up on a public running ledger, so the uncle in Mombasa and the cousin in Kampala see exactly the same numbers. That transparency is the whole point. Travel fundraising fails when people stop trusting where the money went, and an open ledger keeps the trust intact.
The model is simple and honest. Creating a campaign costs nothing. Contributors pay nothing extra on top of what they give. SenteMe takes a flat 7.5% fee per contribution, and it is only taken when you withdraw, so you never pay out of pocket to get started. You set a clear goal, whether that is a Hajj package, a return flight, a student exchange semester, or visa and ticket costs combined, and the ledger tracks progress toward it in the open.
This works for many kinds of travel. Pilgrimage to Mecca or to the Holy Land. A family reunion that gathers relatives from three countries for one occasion. A student travelling abroad for studies or an exchange programme. Bringing an elderly parent home, or repatriating someone for care. A delegation travelling to represent a community. SenteMe is for backing a person or a shared purpose, not for buying anything. Contributors support a journey because it matters to them; nobody is buying a stake and nobody is promised a return. Start your travel campaign today, share the link, and let your community get someone where they need to be.
How to raise money for travel & transportation
01
Name the journey and set a clear goal
Write the campaign around the real trip. Say who is travelling, where, and why it matters. Add up the real costs (ticket, visa, Hajj package, accommodation, the bit for emergencies) and set that total as your goal so contributors know exactly what they are helping reach.
02
Add the honest numbers
Break down what the money covers. A flight to Jeddah, a student visa fee, a return ticket for a grandmother, transport from the airport. People give more readily when they can see the line items rather than one round figure with no explanation.
03
Share one link with the people who care
Post your single SenteMe link in the family WhatsApp group, at the mosque or church, in the alumni chat, or among colleagues. One link keeps everyone in the same place and pointed at the same public ledger, so there is no confusion about which account to send to.
04
Let the ledger build trust
Every contribution appears on the public ledger as it lands. Encourage early givers to share again once they see their names; momentum and visible progress are what move a travel campaign from stalled to funded.
05
Withdraw and book with confidence
When you reach enough to act, withdraw to mobile money and pay the travel agent, the Hajj operator, or the airline. The flat 7.5% fee comes off at withdrawal, so what you raised is what you plan around. The withdrawal shows on the ledger too.
06
Close the loop with proof
Post the booking confirmation, a photo from departure, or a note once the traveller has arrived. Showing that the money did its job is the single best way to make your next campaign, or a relative's, easy to fund.
How to support travel & transportation causes
Give what fits your week
Open the link and send any amount by mobile money. There is no extra charge to you on top of your contribution, and small gifts from many people add up faster than you expect on a travel goal.
Check the ledger before and after
The public running ledger shows every contribution and withdrawal. Look before you give to see how far the campaign has come, and look afterwards to confirm your money landed. Nothing is hidden.
Forward the link, not just the cash
The fastest help you can offer is reach. Forward the campaign to the family group, the prayer group, or the old classmates. A meaningful trip often gets funded by the second and third circle, not just the first.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use SenteMe to raise money for Hajj or a Christian pilgrimage?
Yes. Pilgrimage is one of the most common reasons people pool funds on SenteMe, whether it is Hajj to Mecca or a Christian journey to the Holy Land. Set your goal to the full package cost (flights, accommodation, the operator fee) and share the link with family, your mosque, or your church. The public ledger lets everyone see the fund grow toward the amount the pilgrimage actually costs.
How much does it cost to raise money for travel on SenteMe?
Creating a campaign is free and contributors pay nothing extra when they give. SenteMe takes a flat 7.5% fee per contribution, and it is only deducted when you withdraw. So if your community contributes a total amount, you receive that amount minus 7.5%, and you never pay anything up front to start.
Can I raise money for a student travelling abroad for studies?
Yes. Many campaigns cover a flight, a student visa, and the first costs of an exchange semester or a degree abroad. Be specific about the institution, the programme, and the deadline so contributors understand the urgency. Pair the campaign with any scholarship or loan the student already has, and use SenteMe for the gap that is left.
Can family abroad and at home contribute to the same campaign?
Yes, and this is one of the main reasons people choose SenteMe. Relatives in different countries all send mobile money to the same link and see the same public ledger. The cousin in Nairobi and the aunt in London are looking at identical numbers, which removes the usual arguments about who sent what.
How do I bring an elderly relative home for treatment or to rejoin family?
Create a campaign that explains who is travelling, from where, and why now. List the ticket, any medical escort costs, and transport from the airport. Share it with the wider family first, since this kind of trip is usually funded by the people closest to the person. Withdraw to mobile money and book once you have enough.
Is SenteMe an investment? Do contributors get anything back?
No. SenteMe is for pooling contributions, not investing. People back a person or a shared purpose because it matters to them. Nobody buys a share, nobody is promised a return, and there is no profit to split. It is community support for a journey, plain and simple.
What stops the money from being misused on a travel campaign?
Every contribution and every withdrawal is recorded on a public running ledger that anyone with the link can see. That openness is the main safeguard. Contributors can watch the fund grow and confirm withdrawals, and creators build trust by posting booking confirmations or a photo once the traveller has gone.
Can I raise money for visa and ticket costs together?
Yes. A single campaign can cover everything the journey needs: the visa fee, the flight, and any related cost like insurance or airport transport. List each item so contributors see where their money goes. One clear goal that covers the whole trip is easier to fund than several scattered requests.
In which countries and languages does SenteMe work?
SenteMe is live across 12 African countries and works in both English and French. Contributors use the mobile money services they already have. Whether your family is in Kenya, Uganda, Senegal, or Cote d'Ivoire, they can give to the same campaign link in the language they read.
How quickly can I access the money to book a trip?
You can withdraw to mobile money as contributions come in, so you do not have to wait for the full goal before you act on a time-sensitive booking. Many travel campaigns withdraw in stages, for example paying a Hajj deposit first and the balance later. Each withdrawal appears on the ledger.
Example scenarios
What travel & transportation fundraising looks like
Hypothetical, composite examples. No real person is named.
A father's Hajj, funded by three generations
A retired teacher in Eldoret has waited most of his life to make the Hajj. His children abroad cannot cover the full package alone, so the family opens a SenteMe campaign for the operator fee, the flights, and accommodation in Mecca. Siblings, nieces, and the local mosque community contribute over a few weeks, and the public ledger shows the fund reach the package cost before the booking deadline.
A student's flight to an exchange semester
A young woman in Kampala wins a place on a one-semester exchange in Ghana but has no way to cover the ticket and the visa. Her old secondary school classmates and two former lecturers contribute through one link. The campaign lists the airline cost and the visa fee separately, and once it reaches the goal the family withdraws and books the flight.
Resources for travel & transportation
- Directorate of Immigration Services Kenya
Official Kenyan portal for passports, travel documents, and visas. Start here to confirm passport and document requirements before a trip.
- Nigeria Immigration Service
Apply for and renew Nigerian passports, check visa status, and book appointments for travel documents.
- National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON)
Government body that manages Hajj for Nigerian pilgrims, including registration, a savings scheme, and licensed tour operators.
- Kenya Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife
National ministry overseeing tourism policy and licensed travel operators in Kenya.
- Kenya Ministry of Education
Policy and information on universities and tertiary study, useful when planning educational travel.
- Higher Education Loans Board (HELB)
Kenyan state agency that disburses loans, bursaries, and scholarships for higher education, including study within the region.
- DAAD German Academic Exchange Service
Scholarships and information for students travelling to study or research in Germany.
- Studyportals
Free search platform for degree programmes and courses abroad, helpful when costing an educational trip.
- Study International
Guidance and articles for students preparing to study abroad, from applications to arrival.