Water of Mercy
Kanjazi Village Well Project
Kanjazi Village Well Project
Location: Kanjazi Village, Malawi Africa
Population: 470
Current Water Situation: The Kanjazi Village Well Project was successfully funded on September 9th 2026! The entire cost of the well was covered by a single gift from J.W., a parishioner of St. Paul the Apostle Parish in the Archdiocese of Chicago. We will provide more information as soon as well drilling is completed. The 470 residents of Kanjazi Village draw their water from hand-dug wells, open holes cut down into the ground with no lining, no cover and no pump. Some of them are deep. What lies at the bottom is a shallow pool of muddy brown water gathered among the bare earth and exposed roots, and it is scooped up and carried home in buckets. At this time of year a single hole will not yield enough to fill one 20 litre bucket, so the village works several wells in turn and moves on to the next as each one dries. The nearest borehole is 1.5 kilometres away, too far to serve as the daily source for most families. The same water is shared with livestock. A primary school stands close to the village, so the children who learn there depend on this water too. This area is at high risk for cholera and other waterborne diseases, presenting severe health risks to the entire community.
Project Impact: A properly constructed borehole in Kanjazi Village will serve 470 people. This essential infrastructure will provide clean, safe drinking water directly in the village, ending both the 1.5 kilometre journey to the nearest borehole and the daily reliance on open, unlined wells dug by hand. The project 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. Children at the nearby primary school will have safe water within reach of their classrooms. A borehole reaches far below the level these hand-dug wells can hold, so a single source will yield enough for the whole village and go on yielding through the dry season, instead of running out one hole at a time. Families will gain reliable access to clean water year-round from a covered and protected source, drawn by a pump rather than lifted out of an open hole, breaking the cycle of disease caused by their current contaminated water source.
Funding Goal:
Total Donations:
