Gulumula Village: From a Shallow, Muddy River to Clean Water
Gulumula Village Well Project - Impact Dashboard
Gulumula Village has struck clean water for the first time in its history. Thanks to the generosity of two donors of St. Paul the Apostle Parish in the Archdiocese of Chicago, the 440 residents of Gulumula Village will soon have safe, clean drinking water in the village, ending their reliance on a shallow, muddy river they had to wade into and share with livestock.
This project was made possible by two gifts from parishioners of St. Paul the Apostle Parish in the Archdiocese of Chicago. S.S. and B.S., a married couple, covered more than 90% of the goal in a single gift, carrying Gulumula almost the whole way to clean water in one act of compassion. The balance was met by a second gift from another parishioner, who has chosen to remain anonymous, bringing the project to full funding.
Because of them, 440 people who have spent their lives standing in the same stretch of river their cattle drink from have a borehole of their own. May God bless S.S. and B.S., and our anonymous friend, abundantly for their gift to the people of Gulumula Village. 🙏
From a Shallow, Muddy River to Clean Water
Until now, the 440 residents of Gulumula Village had no access to safe drinking water. Their only source was a shallow, muddy river, brown with silt, running below a steep bank of tall grass. Residents waded into the river itself, standing ankle deep in the brown water and crouching to scoop it into basins and buckets.
The water was stirred cloudy by their own feet as they filled container after container, then carried it home. Father Petros reports that livestock and people shared this same stretch of river, so families drank from the water the animals used. This area is at high risk for cholera and other waterborne diseases, presenting severe health risks to the entire community.
Before: filling basins and a bucket while standing ankle deep in the shallow, muddy river that was Gulumula's only source of water.
Clean Water at Last
The drilling team has finished the new borehole at Gulumula Village, and struck water in abundance. When the borehole was cleaned out, clean water burst from the new casing and shot high above the rig, raining down across the site and running over the ground in sheets.
After a lifetime of wading into a muddy river for every bucket, the people of Gulumula now have clean water rising from a well of their own.
Water bursts from the new borehole at Gulumula Village as the borehole is cleaned out.
Pump installation and finishing work follow the drilling, and Father Petros will then bless the new well and formally hand it over to the community.
The Difference This Well Makes
A properly constructed borehole in Gulumula Village will serve 440 people. This essential infrastructure will provide clean, safe drinking water directly in the village, ending the need to wade into a silty river and crouch in the current to fill a bucket a basin at a time. It 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. Families will no longer draw their drinking water from the same stretch of river their livestock use, and will gain reliable access to clean water year-round, breaking the cycle of disease caused by their old water source.
With proper management by a village maintenance committee, this vital resource should serve the community for approximately 75 years.
The Power of Generosity
The Gulumula Village Well Project is a testament to what a small number of people can accomplish when they answer the call to serve those in need. S.S. and B.S. and a fellow parishioner of St. Paul the Apostle Parish saw a village wading into a shallow, muddy river to scoop up water its own cattle stand in, and they responded with extraordinary compassion. Because of them, the families of Gulumula will no longer stand in the water they drink, and the children born there will grow up never having had to.
Please keep Father Petros in your prayers as he continues his dedicated work serving the people of Malawi. 🙏
A gallery of photos and video from the drilling at Gulumula Village is included below.