Water of Mercy
Theu Village Well Project
Theu Village Well Project
Location: Theu Village, Malawi Africa
Population: 560
Current Water Situation: The Theu Village Well Project has been successfully completed. The project was fully funded on July 23, 2026, thanks to the generosity of 10 donors, including an extraordinary gift from Beth J. that funded more than 58% of the well, and the support of the parish community of Mary Mother of Divine Grace through the 2026 Archdiocese of Chicago Mission Appeal. Drilling was completed on August 31, 2026, 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. Theu is drawing clean, safe water from it now. The formal pump blessing with Father Petros is still to come. This is the first time Theu Village has ever had access to fresh, clean water. 560 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 560 residents of Theu Village had no access to safe drinking water. Their only source was a seasonal river more than two kilometers from the village, and for much of the year it dwindled to a few shallow, muddy pools scattered across a wide sandy riverbed. To reach it, residents had to descend a steep, heavily eroded slope into the river basin, then crouch beside the small pools and scoop dirty, brown water into buckets, basins, and whatever containers they had. The water was shared with livestock and visibly contaminated with mud and sediment. Families then carried the heavy containers back up the steep slope and over the long distance home, a burden that fell most heavily on the village's women. This area was prone to cholera and other waterborne diseases, presenting severe health risks to the entire community. Today, 560 people have access to clean, safe drinking water directly in their village. No one travels more than two kilometers to a drying riverbed or climbs down an eroded slope to collect water shared with livestock, and the women who carried every container back up that slope no longer have to make the climb. 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. Theu no longer depends on a water supply that all but disappeared for much of the year. With proper maintenance and management by the community water committee, this vital resource should serve Theu Village for approximately 75 years.
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