Water for All: pedal pumps and wells for families

According to the last overview of the country elaborated by the World Bank, Malawi’s economy has been heavily impacted by Covid-19 pandemic. The second wave has been more intense than the first and the recovery will depend on the evolution of the pandemic and government’s policy actions. The crisis is increasing poverty, particularly in urban areas, where the services and industry sectors have been hit hard.

So far, the number of Covid-19 cases remains low (with 34.650 general confirmed cases and 1.163 deaths). However, news coming from the neighboring countries and from the World Health Organization in relation to the possible beginning of a third wave has induced local authorities to intensify controls and to restrict the possibility of moving within the country and outward. Prevention measures, such as social distancing and the use of masks, remain. The vaccine campaign is not expected to reach a significant portion of the population until at least mid-2022.

This makes us understand how access to clean water is so fundamental for the whole population and in particular for the more fragile one. Moreover, according to local authorities’ regulations, schools cannot restart their activities if they do not respect precise health protocols. Especially, each school should be able to have access to clean water for its students. The reopening of the schools is even more important because, in many cases, it is the only opportunity for a lot of children to obtain one safe meal a day.

For this reason, our local partner wants to answer to this increasing urgency and aims to build 4 wells: one for St. John school in the rural area of Chimwala, one for Matembwera J. Primary School in North Katuli and other two in the villages of Kwisimba and Ngalipa.

Thanks to your help many children will be able to come back to school and many communities will have access to clean water in this period of emergency!