Water of Mercy
Mkandawire Village Well Project
Mkandawire Village Well Project
Location: Mkandawire Village, Malawi Africa
Population: 420
Current Water Situation: The Mkandawire Village Well Project has been successfully completed. The project was fully funded on August 17, 2026, thanks to the generosity of 27 donors, including an extraordinary gift from Daniele R. that funded more than half of the well and $1,810 in direct online donations from members of two parishes of the 2026 Archdiocese of Chicago Mission Appeal. Drilling was completed on August 31, 2026, just two weeks after the well was funded, and the borehole came in with water in abundance. The concrete pad was poured and the pump installed over the three days that followed, and the finished well was handed over to the village on September 2, 2026. Sixteen days after Mkandawire was funded, the village had a well of its own, and it is drawing clean, safe water from it now. The formal pump blessing with Father Petros is still to come. This is the first time Mkandawire Village has ever had access to fresh, clean water. 420 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, it should serve the community for approximately 75 years.
Project Impact: Before this well was installed, the 420 residents of Mkandawire Village had no access to safe drinking water. Their only source was a shallow hollow in low-lying ground where dark brown water stood among trampled earth and clumps of grass, and residents had to crouch at the edge of the water to scoop it into buckets and basins, waiting their turn as containers lined the bare dirt around them. Every drop was carried in by hand from two kilometers away. The women and children made that journey daily, carrying the heavy, full containers on their heads along a rutted path back to the village. The water was shared with livestock, and this area was at high risk for cholera and other waterborne diseases, presenting severe health risks to the entire community. Today, 420 people have access to clean, safe drinking water directly in their village. Families no longer walk two kilometers to scoop brown, standing water from a shallow hollow shared with livestock, and the women and children who carried every container of it home no longer have to make that walk. The risk of cholera and other waterborne diseases has been dramatically reduced, and the hours once lost to fetching water are given back to school, work, and family. With proper maintenance and management by the community water committee, this vital resource should serve Mkandawire Village for approximately 75 years.
Funding Goal:
Total Donations:
