Clean Water Comes to Kapili Village
Kapili Village Well Project - Impact Dashboard
Kapili Village has clean water for the first time in its history. Thanks to the incredible generosity of 29 donors, the largest group of donors on any single Water of Mercy well project, the 700+ residents of Kapili Village, along with children and teachers at the nearby primary school, now have access to safe, clean drinking water, ending their reliance on a shallow, contaminated waterhole shared with livestock.
This project was made possible by 29 generous donors whose compassion and faith in this mission brought Kapili Village to full funding on May 13, 2026. That is the most donors on a single Water of Mercy well to date, and a powerful testament to what a community of givers can accomplish together.
We want to especially recognize our faithful repeat donor Daniele R., whose extraordinary generosity funded an amazing 55% of this entire well. That kind of commitment to the mission of bringing clean water to rural Malawi is humbling and deeply appreciated.
We also extend deep gratitude to our faithful friend Jörg P., whose unwavering support of Water of Mercy continues to inspire us. With an astounding 39 donations to date across 14 different village well projects, Jörg P. exemplifies the kind of sustained commitment that makes lasting change possible. His generosity has helped bring clean water to Kapili, Kaputeni Chisi, Yesaya, Mchilawengo, Kajombo, Msese, Luwerezi, Khorwa, Msambanyifwa, Zebediya, Chibekete, Bundi, Zakariya, and Chimbiranjala.
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 several others. Your prayers and your generosity go hand in hand.
A special thank you to our 17 repeat donors whose continued faithfulness to this mission makes village after village possible: Barbara B., Michael D., Alejandro E., Leslie H., Amy H., Kathleen M., David M., Sonia M., Jeanie M., Rebecca M., Jörg P., Dimithri P., Daniele R., Jo Lynne S., Mary Ann S., Gretchen S., and Ellen T. Your sustained generosity is an inspiration.
Together, all 29 of our donors exemplify how generosity can transform entire communities, one well at a time.
From Crisis to Clean Water
Before this well, the 700+ residents of Kapili Village had no access to safe drinking water. The only water source available was a shallow, open waterhole, little more than a murky brown puddle spread across muddy ground. Residents, including learners and teachers at the nearby primary school, had to crouch at the water's edge to scoop this contaminated water into buckets and containers. The water was shared with livestock, and the primary school itself had no water source of its own, leaving children dependent on this same dangerous supply.
The waterhole was shallow and diffuse, with brown, sediment-filled water pooling among exposed mud and tangled vegetation. This area was at high risk for cholera and other waterborne diseases, presenting severe health risks to the entire community, especially the children who collected and consumed this water daily.
Drilling
On June 16, 2026, drilling day arrived in Kapili Village, and many in the village came out to watch. There is something universal about a big truck and a drill rig: just as they would anywhere in the world, the village's young boys gathered shoulder to shoulder at the edge of the site, wide-eyed, jostling for the best view of the machinery at work. Their excitement was matched by the hopeful anticipation of many families waiting to see what the ground would give up.
The drilling itself was a resounding success. The borehole struck an abundant, steady supply of clean groundwater, and as the team reached the aquifer, water surged up out of the ground, and there was plenty of it. After years of crouching at a muddy waterhole, clean water now flows from the earth in Kapili. The video below captures that moment, with water shooting from the well during drilling.
Rapid Impact, Lasting Change
Today, 700+ people, including children and teachers 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. The primary school, which previously had no water source of its own, now has access to safe water for its students and teachers, supporting better health outcomes and learning environments. Families 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 Installed: The Village Is Using It
The pump has been installed and the residents of Kapili Village are already drawing clean, safe water from it directly in their village. We will add images of the completed well here as soon as we receive them from our partners in Malawi.
Pump Blessing
The formal pump blessing ceremony with Father Petros has not yet taken place. We will add the date, details, and images of the blessing here as soon as it is held.
Please keep Father Petros in your prayers as he continues his dedicated work serving the people of Malawi. 🙏
The Power of Generosity
The Kapili Village Well Project is a testament to what happens when a community of donors answers the call to serve those in need. Twenty-nine donors, the most on any single Water of Mercy well, saw a village where 700 people and a primary school had no choice but to crouch at the edge of a brown, muddy waterhole shared with livestock just to collect water for their families, and they responded with extraordinary compassion. You have given the gift of health to 700+ people and to the generations yet to be born in Kapili Village. Never again will families here have to fill their buckets from a shallow, disease-prone puddle in the mud.
A gallery of the well drilling, construction, and pump blessing images and videos from the Kapili Village Well Project are included below.