Chimwendo Chisi Village: Clean Water at Last
Chimwendo Chisi Village Well Project - Impact Dashboard
Chimwendo Chisi Village has clean water for the first time in its history. Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of a single married couple, the 820 residents of Chimwendo Chisi Village, along with children and staff at the nearby primary school, now have access to safe, clean drinking water, ending their reliance on a shallow, marshy dambo shared with livestock.
This project was made possible by a single act of extraordinary generosity. James and Alicia S. fully funded the Chimwendo Chisi Village Well Project on their own, covering 100% of the $5,500 goal in a single gift. Because of their compassion and faith, 820 people will have clean, safe drinking water for the first time, and children at the nearby primary school will no longer face the daily threat of waterborne disease. We are profoundly grateful for their generosity and their belief in this mission.
May God bless James and Alicia S. abundantly for their gift to the people of Chimwendo Chisi Village. 🙏
From Crisis to Clean Water
Before this well, the 820 residents of Chimwendo Chisi Village had no access to safe drinking water. The only water source available was a dambo, a shallow, marshy wetland where murky, contaminated water pools among the grass and mud. Residents must collect this brown, sediment-filled water in buckets and containers for drinking, cooking, and daily use. Livestock share the same source, and this area is prone to cholera and other waterborne diseases, presenting severe health risks to the entire community, including learners and teachers at the nearby primary school.
For the children who attend that school, this contaminated dambo was the only water available during their educational day. Families had no alternative and no relief from the daily health risk this water source presented.
Before: collecting water from the dambo.
Rapid Impact, Lasting Change
On April 30, 2026, the drilling team completed the Chimwendo Chisi Village well. As clean water shot from the borehole for the first time, the village erupted in celebration. The joy of 820 people who had never had access to clean water was immediate and overwhelming.
Father Petros, who identified Chimwendo Chisi as the community most in need, was present on drilling day. "There is great joy at this village. They suffered a lot." And they did. For as long as anyone could remember, every drop of water in Chimwendo Chisi came from a contaminated dambo shared with livestock. That era is now over.
Pump installation followed shortly after drilling, and the community now draws clean, safe water directly from their new well.
Clean water flows for the first time at Chimwendo Chisi Village.
Today, 820+ people, including children and staff at the nearby primary school, have access to clean, safe drinking water directly in their village. The project has dramatically reduced the risk of cholera and other waterborne diseases that threatened this community, fundamentally improving the overall health and well-being of residents. Families now have reliable access to clean water year-round, breaking the cycle of disease caused by their former contaminated water source.
The village will establish a maintenance committee to care for the well, and with proper management, this vital resource should serve the community for approximately 75 years.
Pump Blessing
On May 7, 2026, Father Petros blessed the new well at Chimwendo Chisi Village. The Senior Chief was in attendance, along with many of the villagers who live nearby. It was a celebration that marked the end of a long struggle and the beginning of something new. As Father Petros put it: "I just love this village."
During the ceremony, the Senior Chief of Chimwendo Chisi spoke at length about the hardships the village has endured and the meaning of this well for his community. He described years of reliance on contaminated water, the toll it has taken on the health of his people, and the profound difference this well will make for generations to come.
A village woman also shared how the women of Chimwendo Chisi have long struggled to fetch water from unsafe sources, water that was often contaminated and prone to cholera and other waterborne diseases. Her words carried the weight of years of hardship, and they echo a reality shared by communities across rural Malawi.
The Senior Chief speaks at the pump blessing.
A village woman describes the daily struggle for water.
The Hardships Behind the Headlines
The stories shared by the Senior Chief and the women of Chimwendo Chisi reflect challenges that extend far beyond a single village. In their speeches, they described the daily realities of life without clean water:
Health risks: Frequent outbreaks of cholera, dysentery, and other preventable illnesses due to reliance on unclean water.
Daily burdens: Women and children often walk long distances to collect water, losing valuable time for education, farming, or income-generating activities.
Economic impact: Poor health and time lost in water collection reduce productivity and deepen poverty.
Cycles of hardship: The responsibility of fetching water falls disproportionately on women and girls, reinforcing cycles of hardship.
Infrastructure gaps: Lack of boreholes, sanitation facilities, and reliable healthcare services leaves communities vulnerable.
This story is not unique to Chimwendo Chisi. It reflects the broader struggles of rural villages across the region, where access to clean water remains a pressing need for dignity, health, and development.
Please keep Father Petros in your prayers as he continues his dedicated work serving the people of Malawi. 🙏
The Power of Generosity
The Chimwendo Chisi Village Well Project is a testament to what a single act of extraordinary generosity can accomplish. James and Alicia S. provided the funds, and Father Petros identified Chimwendo Chisi as the community most in need. Together, they responded to a village with no alternative but to collect brown, contaminated water from a marshy dambo shared with livestock, and changed it forever. They have given the gift of health to 820 people and to the generations yet to be born in Chimwendo Chisi Village. Never again will families here have to fill their buckets from a muddy, disease-prone dambo.
A gallery of the well drilling, construction, and pump blessing images and videos from the Chimwendo Chisi Village Well Project are included below.