Bringing water to rural Malawi

Over a third of the population of Malawi have no access to safe drinking water. In villages that do not have proper boreholes people rely on surface water from rivers and dig shallow wells to access water in the dry season.  These wells are also used by animals, which leads to contamination and increases the spread of waterborne disease. Diarrhoea is endemic in Malawi and every year there is an outbreak of cholera during the rainy season.

Islamic Relief has been running water projects in Malawi for a number of years, working in some of the poorest districts where most of the population are living in poverty. In 2008, we drilled 34 boreholes and installed hand pumps in the Zomba and Chiradzulu districts, providing safe, clean water for 8,500 people. We also trained the community in how to maintain the water facilities and raised awareness of health and hygiene issues to help promote better health. 

One of the villages to benefit from the water project is Sosola village in the Traditional Authority of Mlumbe, District Zomba Rural. The village is home to 360 people, most of whom are subsistence farmers growing crops and rearing livestock. Until Islamic Relief began working in the village, the nearest water source was 1.5km away and contained contaminated water. Now the community has its own hand-pump and is fully trained in all aspects of its maintenance.