From Dambo to Freshwater Well: Clean Water Arrives in Zakariya Village
Zakariya Village Well Project - Impact Dashboard
Zakariya Village has clean water for the first time in its history. Thanks to the incredible generosity of 16 donors, the 450+ residents of Zakariya Village now have access to safe, clean drinking water, ending their reliance on a shallow, marshy dambo shared with livestock and wild animals.
This project was made possible by 16 generous donors whose compassion and faith in this mission brought Zakariya Village to full funding. We want to especially recognize James and Alicia S., whose extraordinary gift funded nearly 48% of this entire well. Their generosity has helped transform an entire community, and we are deeply grateful for their commitment to this mission.
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.
Together, all 16 of our donors exemplify how generosity can transform entire communities, one well at a time.
From Crisis to Clean Water
Before this well, the 450+ residents of Zakariya Village had no access to safe drinking water. The only water source available was a dambo, a shallow, marshy wetland where murky, contaminated water collects among the grass and mud. Residents had to kneel in the wet ground to scoop this brown, sediment-filled water into buckets and containers. Livestock and wild animals share the same source, and this area is prone to cholera and other waterborne diseases, presenting severe health risks to the entire community.
Some residents chose to walk 1.5 kilometers to reach the nearest borehole in Chizani Village, a well that Water of Mercy constructed last year that already serves over 500 people. That daily journey, often made by women and children carrying heavy containers, was the only alternative to drinking contaminated water from the dambo.
Drilling Day: Clean Water Breaks Through
Fully funded at 100% of its $5,500 goal on March 23, 2026, the Zakariya Village well was successfully drilled on May 5, 2026, with the drilling operation completed over the course of 3 days. The water output was excellent, with clean water surging from the borehole in dramatic fashion. For 450+ people who had never had access to safe drinking water, this was the moment everything changed.
Until this day, families in Zakariya had no choice but to kneel in a marshy dambo shared with livestock and wild animals, scooping brown, contaminated water from the mud by hand. Cholera and waterborne disease were a constant threat. That's over. Today, 450+ people have access to clean, safe drinking water directly in their village, eliminating the need for residents to collect contaminated water from a marshy dambo or make a 1.5-kilometer walk to the neighboring borehole in Chizani 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 Installed: The Village Is Using It
The pump has been installed and the residents of Zakariya Village are already using it. Clean, safe water is flowing. The community that once knelt in a muddy dambo to fill their buckets now has a functioning borehole pump right 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 Zakariya Village Well Project demonstrates the incredible impact that can be achieved when donors answer the call to serve those in need. Sixteen donors saw a community kneeling in a muddy marsh to scoop contaminated water and a village where some walked 1.5 kilometers just to find a safer option, and they responded with extraordinary compassion. You have given the gift of health to 450+ people and to the generations yet to be born in Zakariya Village. Never again will families here have to kneel beside livestock to fill their buckets from a marshy dambo.
A gallery of the well drilling, construction, and pump blessing images and videos from the Zakariya Village Well Project are included below.