Every drop of water used in Mazanga Village comes from a dambo, a shallow, marshy wetland where murky water collects among mud and grass. The village's 378 residents have no other source and no access to safe drinking water. They must crouch at the water's edge to scoop the brown, sediment-filled water into buckets and basins, then carry the heavy containers home on a long journey back to the village. This burden falls most heavily on the women, who make the trip day after day. The dambo is shared with livestock, and this area is at high risk for cholera and other waterborne diseases, presenting severe health risks to the entire community.

The Katete Girls School Well Project is complete. Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of a single family from Mary, Mother of Divine Grace Parish in the Archdiocese of Chicago, Katete School was fully funded on July 29, 2026, and the well was successfully drilled on August 18, 2026, striking plenty of water. A formal blessing with Father Petros is forthcoming. Until now, the 1,230 learners at Katete School had no water source at the school. Each day, students walked three kilometers to the nearest borehole, filled large buckets, and carried the heavy, full containers back to the school on their heads. The route was rough and hazardous, with many places to slip and fall, and this long, exhausting daily journey repeatedly interrupted lessons and took time that should have been spent learning. This well ends that walk for good, removing its dangers, the daily effort of hauling water, and the hours the journey stole from the classroom. This is the first time Katete School has ever had clean water on its own grounds. More than 1,230 learners, along with their teachers, now have safe water where they study. With proper care, the well should serve Katete School for approximately 75 years. Please note that some images on this page are courtesy of the "Katete Girls" sponsorship project.

The Chakwanika Village Well Project was successfully funded on August 14th 2026 in just a couple of days! Amazing! We will provide more information as soon as well drilling is completed. In Chakwanika Village, the 430 residents have no access to safe drinking water and depend entirely on a dambo, a shallow, marshy wetland where murky water collects among mud, grass, and fallen leaves. Residents must crouch at the water's edge to scoop this dark, sediment-filled water into buckets and containers, then carry the heavy loads home. The dambo is shared with livestock and wild animals, and residents risk their lives each time they collect water from the same source the animals use. This area is at high risk for cholera and other waterborne diseases, presenting severe health risks to the entire community.

The Mkandawire Village Well Project was successfully funded on August 17th 2026! We will provide more information as soon as well drilling is completed. Water in Mkandawire Village is carried in by hand from two kilometers away. The 420 residents have no access to safe drinking water. Their only source is a shallow hollow in low-lying ground where dark brown water stands among trampled earth and clumps of grass. Residents must crouch at the edge of the water to scoop it into buckets and basins, waiting their turn as containers line the bare dirt around them. Women and children make this journey daily, carrying the heavy, full containers on their heads along a rutted path back to the village. The water is shared with livestock, and this area is at high risk for cholera and other waterborne diseases, presenting severe health risks to the entire community.

The Chirwa Village Well Project was successfully funded on August 13th 2026! We will provide more information as soon as well drilling is completed. The 590 residents of Chirwa Village have no access to safe drinking water. The only water source is a shallow, muddy hole where brown, standing water collects, and residents must crouch at its edge to scoop the murky, contaminated water into buckets and basins. Reaching it means a long, steep walk down a rugged, eroded footpath, and families must then carry the heavy containers back up the hill to their scattered homes. This exhausting daily journey falls most heavily on the women and children, who spend hours each day fetching water. The water is shared with livestock, and this area is prone to cholera and other waterborne diseases, presenting severe health risks to the entire community.

The Mataliyana Village Well Project has been successfully completed. The project was fully funded on July 7, 2026, in just four days, thanks to the generosity of 4 donors, every one of them a returning friend of Water of Mercy, including a single extraordinary gift from Beth J. that covered more than 94% of the cost. Drilling was completed on August 20, 2026, striking clean water in abundant supply, with the drilling and pump installation finished in just three days. The pump has been installed and the village is already drawing clean, safe water from it. The formal pump blessing with Father Petros is still to come. This is the first time Mataliyana Village has ever had access to fresh, clean water. More than 420 residents now have access to clean, safe drinking water. A local water committee will be established for maintenance and management of the well. With proper care, it should serve the community for approximately 75 years.

The Kapito Village Well Project is complete. Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of a single long-time supporter of Water of Mercy, who asked to remain unnamed, Kapito Village was fully funded on July 1, 2026, covering 100% of the $5,500 goal in a single gift. The well was given in loving memory of Emi Murakami, the donor's dearest friend. The well was successfully drilled on August 19, 2026, striking water in abundance, with Father Petros on site to oversee the drilling. The pump has been installed and the village is drawing clean water from it. A formal blessing with Father Petros is forthcoming. This is the first time Kapito Village has ever had access to fresh, clean water. All 560 residents, including learners and teachers at the nearby primary school, now have access to clean, safe drinking water directly in their village. A local water committee will be established for maintenance and management of the well. With proper care, the well should serve the community for approximately 75 years.

The Theu Village Well Project was successfully funded on July 23rd 2026! We will provide more information as soon as well drilling is completed. The 560 residents of Theu Village have no access to safe drinking water. Their only source is a seasonal river more than 2 kilometers from the village, and for much of the year it dwindles to a few shallow, muddy pools scattered across a wide sandy riverbed. To reach it, residents must descend a steep, heavily eroded slope into the river basin. There they crouch beside the small pools and scoop dirty, brown water into buckets, basins, and whatever containers they have. The water is shared with livestock and visibly contaminated with mud and sediment. Once their containers are full, they must carry the heavy water back up the steep, eroded slope and over the long distance home, a burden that falls most heavily on the village's women. This area is prone to cholera and other waterborne diseases, presenting severe health risks to the entire community.

The Chimbiranjala Village Well Project is complete. Thanks to the generosity of 7 donors, Chimbiranjala Village was fully funded on June 23, 2026. The well was successfully drilled, and clean water reached the surface, running crystal clear from the new borehole. The pump has been installed and the village is now drawing clean water from it. The official pump blessing took place on July 25, 2026, with Father Petros celebrating Holy Mass during the ceremony. A funeral in the community that day made for a smaller gathering than usual, yet the village's gratitude was clear: the people of Chimbiranjala promised to pray for Water of Mercy and all who donated to the well, and they offered gifts of maize, groundnuts, and a goat to support families in need elsewhere in Father Petros's parish. This is the first time Chimbiranjala Village has ever had access to fresh, clean water. More than 700 residents, including children and staff at the nearby primary school, now have access to clean, safe drinking water. With proper care, the well should serve the community for approximately 75 years.

The Kaputeni Chisi Village Well Project is complete. Thanks to the generosity of 5 donors, Kaputeni Chisi Village was fully funded on June 2, 2026, and the well was successfully drilled on June 24, 2026. The pump has been installed and the village is already drawing clean water from it. On July 3, 2026, the new pump at Kaputeni Chisi Village was formally blessed by Fr. Thomas Gondwe, a brother priest of Father Petros, who came to the village to pray with the community and give thanks to God for the gift of clean water. This is the first time Kaputeni Chisi Village has ever had access to fresh, clean water. Before this well, the 440 residents of Kaputeni Chisi Village had no access to safe drinking water. The only water source was a shallow, muddy water hole where residents had to crouch at the eroded bank to scoop brown, contaminated water into buckets and containers. The water was shared with livestock, and this area was at high risk for cholera and other waterborne diseases, presenting severe health risks to the entire community. The village sits beside a Catholic prayer center, one of 50 prayer centers in Father Petros's parish. A prayer center is a church without a full-time priest. Learners and teachers at the nearby primary school and parishioners at the prayer center all depended on this same contaminated water source.

The Yesaya Village Well Project is complete. Thanks to the generosity of 5 donors, Yesaya Village was fully funded on June 2, 2026. The well was successfully drilled on June 23, 2026. A portion of the borehole collapsed shortly after the initial drilling, a normal complication in freshwater well drilling, and the team resolved it quickly, with clean water reaching the surface. The pump has been installed and the village is already drawing clean water from it. This is the first time Yesaya Village has ever had access to fresh, clean water. More than 700 residents now have access to clean, safe drinking water directly in their village. With proper care, the well should serve the community for approximately 75 years.

The Kapili Village Well Project is complete. Thanks to the generosity of 29 donors, the most to fund any single Water of Mercy well to date, Kapili Village was fully funded on May 13, 2026. The well was successfully drilled on June 16, 2026, striking an abundant, steady supply of clean groundwater that surged from the borehole. The pump has been installed and the village is already drawing clean water from it. This is the first time Kapili Village has ever had access to fresh, clean water. More than 700 residents, including children and teachers at the nearby primary school, now have access to clean, safe drinking water directly in their village. With proper care, the well should serve the community for approximately 75 years.

The Chimwendo Chisi Village Well Project is complete. Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of a single donor couple, James and Alicia S., Chimwendo Chisi was fully funded on April 6, 2026, covering 100% of the $5,500 goal in a single gift. Drilling was completed on April 30, 2026, and the village erupted in celebration as clean water shot from the borehole for the first time. The official pump blessing took place on May 7, 2026, with Father Petros presiding over the ceremony. The Chief and Senior Chief were both in attendance, along with many of the villagers who live nearby. This is the first time Chimwendo Chisi Village has ever had access to fresh, clean water. All 820 residents, including children and staff at the nearby primary school, now have access to clean, safe drinking water. With proper care, the well should serve the community for approximately 75 years.

The Chibekete Village Well Project is complete. Thanks to the generosity of 13 donors, Chibekete Village was fully funded on April 19, 2026. The well was successfully drilled on June 13, 2026, with good water flow confirmed. Completing this well took persistence, as severe diesel fuel shortages and rising costs across Malawi made the drilling operation difficult to schedule and finance, but Father Petros and the team on the ground saw it through. The pump has been installed and the village is already drawing clean water from it. This is the first time Chibekete Village has ever had access to fresh, clean water. More than 400 residents, including patients and staff at the village medical health outpost, now have access to clean, safe drinking water directly in their village. With proper care, the well should serve the community for approximately 75 years.

The Bundi Village Well Project is complete. Thanks to the generosity of 19 donors, Bundi Village was fully funded on March 23, 2026. Drilling was completed on May 1, 2026, though getting there required extraordinary persistence — the drilling team surveyed and attempted multiple sites before striking water on the third try, with the crew working through the night to finish the operation. The pump blessing took place on May 22, 2026, with Father Petros presiding over a Mass accompanied by the beautiful voices of the local choir. The outdoor altar was decorated beautifully by the community, and the villagers expressed their heartfelt gratitude to Father Petros by presenting him with gifts. You can see that the water flows strong and runs clear. This is the first time Bundi Village has ever had access to fresh, clean water. More than 350 residents, including children and staff at the nearby primary school, now have access to clean, safe drinking water. With proper care, the well should serve the community for approximately 75 years.

The Chizule Village Well Project has been successfully completed. Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of a single donor, Steve A. and his 96-year-old mother, Chizule Village was fully funded just days after its project was published on February 7, 2026. Steve A. has a deep and longstanding connection to this mission — he helped fund one of Father Petros's early well projects before Water of Mercy was officially formed, and he and his mother also funded nearly 90% of the Zebediya Village Well Project. Drilling was completed on February 22, 2026, with an excellent water flow. The pump blessing took place on March 3, 2026, with Father Petros presiding over the ceremony. This is the first time Chizule Village has ever had access to fresh, clean water. More than 520 people now have access to clean, safe drinking water. A local water committee will be established for maintenance and management of the well. With proper care, it should serve the community for approximately 75 years.

The Zakariya Village Well Project is complete. Thanks to the generosity of 16 donors, Zakariya Village was fully funded on March 23, 2026. The well was successfully drilled on May 5, 2026, with clean water flowing in excellent volume. The pump has been installed and the village is already drawing clean water from it. A formal pump blessing with Father Petros is forthcoming. This is the first time Zakariya Village has ever had access to fresh, clean water. More than 450 residents now have access to clean, safe drinking water directly in their village. With proper care, the well should serve the community for approximately 75 years.

Zebediya Village was successfully funded on January 29, 2026, thanks to 3 generous donors — our first of two villages fully funded that day! Drilling was completed on February 23, 2026, and the water flow was amazing (see the video). The pump blessing took place on March 3, 2026, with Father Petros presiding and many villagers in attendance. This is the first time Zebediya Village has ever had access to fresh, clean water. More than 679 people now have access to clean, safe drinking water. A local water committee will be established for maintenance and management of the well. With proper care, it should serve the community for approximately 75 years.