Chirwa Village: Funded by a Record 31 Donors
Chirwa Village Well Project - Impact Dashboard
Chirwa Village will soon have clean water for the first time in its history. Thanks to the generosity of 31 donors, the 590 residents of Chirwa Village will gain access to safe, clean drinking water, ending their reliance on a shallow, muddy hole of brown, standing water reached only by a long, steep walk down a rugged, eroded footpath. The Chirwa Village Well Project reached full funding on August 13, 2026, drawing more donors than any Water of Mercy well before it, and drilling will follow soon.
This project was made possible by 31 generous donors whose compassion and faith in this mission brought Chirwa Village to full funding on August 13, 2026. Every gift, whether a first-time donation or the latest from a longtime friend of Water of Mercy, played a real and irreplaceable role in making this well possible.
We want to especially recognize Beth J., whose extraordinary generosity funded nearly half of this entire well in a single gift. That remarkable act of compassion carried Chirwa Village toward full funding and made clean water possible for 590 people. We are profoundly grateful for her belief in this mission. Beth's commitment reaches across the mission: with this gift she has now helped fund six village wells, at Yesaya, Kaputeni Chisi, Chimbiranjala, Mataliyana, Theu, and now Chirwa.
We extend deep gratitude to our faithful friend Jörg P., whose unwavering support of Water of Mercy continues to inspire us. With an astounding 46 donations to date across 18 different village well projects, and two separate gifts to this well alone, Jörg P. exemplifies the kind of sustained commitment that makes lasting change possible. His generosity has helped bring clean water to Mkandawire, Mataliyana, Theu, Chimbiranjala, Kaputeni Chisi, Yesaya, Kapili, Chibekete, Bundi, Zakariya, Zebediya, Luwerezi, Msambanyifwa, Mchilawengo, Msese, Kajombo, Khorwa, and now Chirwa.
We are also grateful for our faithful repeat supporters Sonia M., whose eleven gifts to the mission have supported seven different village wells, and Alejandro E., whose ten gifts now reach across ten different village wells. Their steady faithfulness, village after village, is a quiet engine of this work.
We are especially glad to welcome back Zachary H., whose first gift to Water of Mercy helped fund the well at Chimbiranjala and who has now returned to give again here at Chirwa. We are grateful as well to our other returning friends Lawrence P., Christopher L., Daniel H., and Eduardo Z., who have each given to this well and to others before it.
We also warmly welcome the many first-time donors whose gifts carried Chirwa Village to the finish line. To every one of you giving to Water of Mercy for the first time, thank you for believing in this mission and in the people of Chirwa.
We are deeply grateful to the parish communities of the 2026 Mission Appeal, whose members gave so generously to this well: St. John Cantius in Chicago, Mary, Mother of Divine Grace in Westchester, and St. Paul the Apostle in Gurnee. Together, members of these three parishes made $1,825 in direct donations to the Water of Mercy website, about a third of the well's $5,500 cost. Your parishes opened their hearts to a village far away, and Chirwa will carry that kindness for generations.
A special thank you to several members of Father Petros's and Father Edmond's daily Rosary group, who have given generously to this well and to others before it. Your prayers and your generosity go hand in hand.
Together, all 31 of our donors, whatever the size of the gift, exemplify how generosity can transform entire communities, one well at a time.
From Crisis to Clean Water
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.
Before: women of Chirwa Village at the shallow, muddy hole that is their only water source, buckets balanced on their heads to carry it home.
The Difference This Well Will Make
A properly constructed borehole in Chirwa Village will serve nearly 590 people. This essential infrastructure will provide clean, safe drinking water directly in the village, eliminating the need for residents to make a long, steep journey down a rugged footpath to collect contaminated water from a shallow muddy hole shared with livestock. The project will dramatically reduce the risk of cholera and other waterborne diseases that threaten this community, fundamentally improving the overall health and well-being of residents. Women and children, who currently bear the burden of this exhausting daily journey and spend hours fetching water, will gain that time back for school, work, and family. Families will gain reliable access to clean water year-round, breaking the cycle of disease caused by their current contaminated water source.
With proper management by a village maintenance committee, this vital resource should serve the community for approximately 75 years.
What Happens Next
Chirwa Village has been fully funded, but the work in the village is just beginning. With funding now secured, the drilling team will travel to Chirwa to drill the borehole, pour the concrete pad, and install the pump. Once the well is complete, Father Petros will bless it and formally hand it over to the community.
We will update this page with photos and videos of the drilling, construction, and pump blessing as soon as they are available. Please check back to follow the progress of the Chirwa Village Well Project, and to share in the moment clean water flows in Chirwa for the first time.
The Power of Generosity
The Chirwa Village Well Project is a testament to what happens when people answer the call to serve those in need. Thirty-one donors saw a community crouching at the edge of a shallow, muddy hole shared with livestock, then climbing a long, steep footpath with heavy containers of dirty water, and they responded with extraordinary compassion. You have given the gift of health to 590 people and to the generations yet to be born in Chirwa Village. Never again will the women and children of Chirwa have to make that long, steep climb carrying water that puts their families at risk.
Please keep Father Petros in your prayers as he continues his dedicated work serving the people of Malawi. 🙏
A gallery of images from Chirwa Village is included below. Images and videos of the well drilling, construction, and pump blessing will be added to this page once the project is complete.