Thoza Village: From a Dwindling River to Clean Water
Thoza Village Well Project - Impact Dashboard
Thoza Village is fully funded, and clean water is on its way. Thanks to the generosity of parishioners of St. Paul the Apostle Parish in the Archdiocese of Chicago, the 450 residents of Thoza Village will gain access to safe, clean drinking water, ending their reliance on shallow, brown puddles in a dwindling riverbed shared with livestock and wild animals. St. Paul parishioners have also funded Kapatamoto Chisi Village, which draws from the same river, so one parish is bringing clean water to both villages that depend on it. Drilling will follow soon.
This well was made possible by parishioners of St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Gurnee, in the Archdiocese of Chicago. Four separate gifts from members of the parish, among them a donor-advised grant from a parishioner who wished to remain anonymous and a grant through CAF America recommended by Abbott, came together to fund this well.
St. Paul parishioners have become some of the most generous friends Water of Mercy has. Their gifts have already funded entire wells at Kanjazi and Gulumula, carried most of the well at Mazanga, and given generously to Mkandawire, Chirwa, and Chakwanika. Now St. Paul parishioners have funded both villages on Thoza's river: Thoza, and its neighbor Kapatamoto Chisi, home to 650 more people.
Your parish opened its heart to a village far away, and Thoza will carry that kindness for generations.
From Crisis to Clean Water
The river that Thoza Village depends on has dwindled to a chain of shallow, brown puddles strung along a bed of bare red earth. The 450 residents have no access to safe drinking water and no other source.
Women step down into the riverbed to fill their containers from these standing pools, and on the grassy bank above, they wash the family's clothes in the same water. The river is shared with livestock and wild animals, and this area is at high risk for cholera and other waterborne diseases.
Kapatamoto Chisi Village, home to 650 more people, draws from the same river, and it too has been funded by parishioners of St. Paul.
Before: filling a container from the standing pools in the riverbed.
The Difference This Well Will Make
A properly constructed borehole in Thoza Village will serve 450 people. It will provide clean, safe drinking water directly in the village, ending the community's dependence on shallow, standing pools in a shrinking riverbed shared with livestock and wild animals. It will dramatically reduce the risk of cholera and other waterborne diseases that threaten this community, and drinking water will no longer come from the same river used to wash the family's clothes.
With proper management by a village maintenance committee, this vital resource should serve the community for approximately 75 years.
What Happens Next
Thoza Village has been fully funded, but the work in the village is just beginning. With funding now secured, the drilling team will travel to Thoza 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 and construction as soon as they are available.
The Power of Generosity
The Thoza Village Well Project is a testament to what a parish community can accomplish together. Parishioners of St. Paul the Apostle saw a village drinking from puddles in a dwindling riverbed, and they responded by giving 450 people a safe source of water of their own. Together with Kapatamoto Chisi, that is more than 1,100 people on one river, all given clean water by one parish.
Please keep Father Petros in your prayers as he continues his dedicated work serving the people of Malawi. ๐
A gallery of images from Thoza Village is included below. Images and videos of the well drilling and construction will be added to this page once they are available.