Yesaya Village: A Well for 700
Yesaya Village Well Project - Impact Dashboard
Yesaya Village has clean water for the first time in its history. Thanks to the incredible generosity of 5 donors, the 700 residents of Yesaya 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 5 generous donors whose compassion and faith in this mission brought Yesaya Village to full funding on June 2, 2026. Every gift, whether a first-time donation or the latest from a longtime friend of Water of Mercy, played a real and irreplaceable role in making this well a reality.
We want to especially recognize Beth J., whose extraordinary generosity funded 69% of this entire well in a single gift. That remarkable act of compassion brought Yesaya Village to the brink of full funding and made clean water possible for 700 people. Beyond her gift to Yesaya, Beth J. has also given significantly to two other Water of Mercy wells, the Kaputeni Chisi and Chimbiranjala village well projects, a reflection of her deep and sustained commitment to bringing clean water to rural Malawi. We are profoundly grateful for her belief in 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.
We are also grateful for our faithful repeat supporters Sonia M., who gave four separate times to bring Yesaya to its goal, and Alejandro E., a faithful friend of the mission across multiple Water of Mercy wells. Their continued generosity reflects a sustained commitment to this work.
Together, all 5 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 Yesaya Village had no access to safe drinking water. The only water source available was a dambo, a shallow, marshy wetland where murky water collects among the mud and tangled vegetation. Residents had to crouch at the water's edge to scoop this dark, sediment-filled water into buckets and containers. The water is shared with livestock and wild animals, and this area is at high risk for cholera and other waterborne diseases, presenting severe health risks to the entire community.
Families had no alternative and no relief from the daily health risk this water source presented. Please look closely at the images of the murky water villagers were forced to drink and the daily struggle they endured.
Before: scooping contaminated water from the dambo.
Drilling Day: Clean Water Breaks Through
Fully funded at 100% of its $5,500 goal on June 2, 2026, the Yesaya Village well was successfully drilled on June 23, 2026. After the initial drilling, a portion of the borehole collapsed. This is a normal complication in freshwater well drilling and is typically straightforward to resolve, and the drilling team corrected it quickly. With the borehole stabilized, clean water reached the surface for the first time in the history of Yesaya Village, ending the community's dependence on a marshy dambo shared with livestock and wild animals.
Boring the borehole at Yesaya Village on drilling day.
Rapid Impact, Lasting Change
Today, 700 people 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. 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 Yesaya Village are already using it. Clean, safe water is flowing directly in the village. The community that once crouched at the edge of a marshy dambo to fill their buckets now draws clean water from a functioning borehole pump.
Pump Blessing
The formal blessing ceremony with Father Petros is the final step of this project. We will add images of the completed well and the blessing ceremony here as soon as we receive them from our partners in Malawi.
Please keep Father Petros in your prayers as he continues his dedicated work serving the people of Malawi. 🙏
The Power of Generosity
The Yesaya Village Well Project is a testament to what happens when people answer the call to serve those in need. Five donors saw a community crouching at the edge of a marshy dambo shared with livestock and wild animals 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 Yesaya Village. Never again will families here have to scoop contaminated water from a muddy, disease-prone dambo.
A gallery of the well drilling, construction, and pump blessing images and videos from the Yesaya Village Well Project are included below.