Water of Mercy
Gulumula Village Well Project
Gulumula Village Well Project
Location: Gulumula Village, Malawi Africa
Population: 440
Current Water Situation: The Gulumula Village Well Project is complete. Thanks to the generosity of two parishioners of St. Paul the Apostle Parish in the Archdiocese of Chicago, Gulumula Village was fully funded on September 10, 2026. S.S. and B.S., a married couple, covered more than 90% of the $5,500 goal in a single gift, and the balance was met by a second gift from another parishioner, who has chosen to remain anonymous. The well has been successfully drilled, striking water in abundance: when the borehole was cleaned out, clean water burst from the new casing and shot high above the rig. Drilling and construction took three days in all, and a formal blessing with Father Petros is still to come. This is the first time Gulumula has ever had access to fresh, clean water. More than 440 residents now have access to clean, safe drinking water. A local water committee will be established for maintenance and management of the well. With proper care, the well should serve the community for approximately 75 years.
Project Impact: Before this well was installed, 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 stirred cloudy by their own feet. Livestock and people shared the same stretch of river, so families drank from the water the animals used, and this area was at high risk for cholera and other waterborne diseases, presenting severe health risks to the entire community. Today, more than 440 people have access to clean, safe drinking water directly in their village. Families no longer wade into a muddy river for every bucket, and no longer drink from water their livestock stand in. The risk of cholera and other waterborne diseases that threatened this community has been dramatically reduced, and the children born in Gulumula will grow up never having had to stand in the water they drink. With proper maintenance and management by the community water committee, this vital resource should serve Gulumula Village for approximately 75 years.
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