The Long Walk Ends: A Well for Mataliyana Village
Mataliyana Village Well Project - Impact Dashboard
Mataliyana Village has clean water for the first time in its history. Thanks to the generosity of 4 donors, the 420 residents of Mataliyana Village now have access to safe, clean drinking water, ending their reliance on a shallow, muddy hole in low-lying ground shared with livestock and reached only after a two-kilometer walk.
This project was made possible by 4 generous donors whose compassion and faith in this mission brought Mataliyana Village to full funding on July 7, 2026, and every one of them is a returning friend of Water of Mercy. Every gift, whether given once or given faithfully across many villages, played a real and irreplaceable role in making this well possible.
We want to especially recognize Beth J., whose extraordinary generosity funded more than 94% of this entire well in a single gift. That remarkable act of compassion carried Mataliyana Village to full funding and made clean water possible for 420 people. We are profoundly grateful for her belief in this mission. Beth's commitment reaches across the mission: she has now helped fund seven village wells, at Yesaya, Kaputeni Chisi, Chimbiranjala, Mataliyana, Theu, Chirwa, and Chakwanika.
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 48 donations to date across 20 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 Msese, Khorwa, Kajombo, Mchilawengo, Luwerezi, Msambanyifwa, Zebediya, Zakariya, Bundi, Chibekete, Kapili, Yesaya, Kaputeni Chisi, Chimbiranjala, Theu, Mataliyana, Chirwa, Mkandawire, Chakwanika, and Mazanga.
We are also deeply grateful for our faithful repeat supporter Alejandro E., whose sustained giving now reaches across ten village wells: Mchilawengo, Chibekete, Yesaya, Kapili, Kaputeni Chisi, Chimbiranjala, Theu, Mataliyana, Chirwa, and Mkandawire. His steady faithfulness, village after village, is exactly the kind of generosity that makes this mission possible.
Together, all 4 of our donors exemplify how generosity can transform entire communities, one well at a time.
From Crisis to Clean Water
Before this well, the 420 residents of Mataliyana Village had no access to safe drinking water. The only water source was a shallow, muddy hole in low-lying ground, where brown, standing water collected. Residents had to crouch at the edge of this hole to scoop the murky water into buckets and containers.
To reach it, families walked two kilometers, a burden that fell most heavily on the women and children who made the journey every day. The water was shared with livestock, and this area is at high risk for cholera and other waterborne diseases, presenting severe health risks to the entire community.
Before: mothers and children gather water from a shallow, muddy hole two kilometers from home.
Clean Water at Last
On August 20, 2026, the drilling team reached Mataliyana Village and successfully drilled the new borehole, striking clean water in abundance. Father Petros reports plenty of water. After generations of walking two kilometers to scoop brown, standing water from a muddy hole, the people of Mataliyana watched clean water rise from a well of their own for the first time.
The pump has since been installed, and the village is already drawing clean, safe water from it directly where its people live. For the first time in its history, Mataliyana Village has a reliable source of clean water.
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. Father Petros will bless the new well and formally hand it over to the community. That blessing is still to come, and we will update this page with photos and video of the completed well and the blessing as they arrive.
The Power of Generosity
The Mataliyana Village Well Project is a testament to what happens when people answer the call to serve those in need. Four donors, every one of them a returning friend of Water of Mercy, saw a community where mothers and children walked two kilometers to crouch at a shallow, muddy hole shared with livestock just to collect water for their families, and they responded with extraordinary compassion. You have given the gift of health to 420 people and to the generations yet to be born in Mataliyana Village. Never again will families here have to walk that path to scoop dirty water from a hole in the ground.
Please keep Father Petros in your prayers as he continues his dedicated work serving the people of Malawi. 🙏
A gallery of images and video from the drilling and construction at Mataliyana Village is included below. Photos and video of the completed well and the pump blessing will be added to this page as they arrive.