For the students of St. Johns Primary School in Blantyre, learning once came with a heavy price: thirst, fatigue, and missed opportunities.
Opened in 2022 with just five grades, the school carried the hopes of a community eager to educate its children. But without water on campus, progress felt out of reach. Students walked long distances under the blazing sun to fetch buckets, often arriving in class late, tired, and unable to focus. Hygiene suffered, and plans for a feeding program were impossible without steady water supply.
Head Teacher Mr. B. Chikhosi remembers the toll it took: “Absenteeism and dropout rates were really very high, especially among girls. Without water, our sanitary facilities could not be used. Many learners simply stopped coming to class.”
For two years, this was the daily struggle at St. Johns — a school with potential but without the most basic foundation: water.
A Well That Opened the Door to Growth
That turning point came in 2023, when Water Wells for Africa (WWFA) installed a borehole at the school. For the first time, clean water was just steps away.
The change was immediate. Students stayed in class all day, hydration improved concentration, and teachers could finally keep classrooms clean. With water secured, the school could partner with Mary’s Meals who needed water for cooking and cleaning the food they make for the feeding program — a milestone that transformed both attendance and learning outcomes.
The ripple effects have been striking. By the 2024/25 academic year, enrollment surged to 330 students, and the school expanded with new classes, now teaching up to Standard 7 (7th grade).
Children Who Dream Bigger
The well has not only improved health and attendance — it has unlocked ambition.
- Favor Mpaloni, a Standard 7 student, now dreams of becoming a soldier.
- His classmate Obrey Chaiwara is determined to one day stand at the front of the classroom as a teacher.
- Girls like Bertha Banda and Pemphero see possibilities that once seemed out of reach: Bertha wants to teach, while Pemphero envisions a career in nursing.
Water has created an environment where boys and girls alike can look beyond survival and toward meaningful futures.
A School Transformed
The impact reaches beyond the students. Parents, too, are celebrating what water has made possible.
Esther Ben, a mother who volunteers with Mary’s Meals, explains: “Cooking is made simple with access to water at the school. Before, we had to walk a long distance to fetch water for cooking, and it was really hard to help every day with no water. Now we can cook for the children without stress.”
What was once a struggling junior school is now thriving as a center of education and community pride. Clean water has fueled growth, restored dignity, and created space for dreams to take root.
A Future Shaped by Water
For St. Johns Primary School, a borehole is more than infrastructure — it is a foundation for possibility. Every lesson learned, every meal served, and every dream spoken aloud is proof of what clean water makes possible.
St. Johns has found its voice. And with water abundantly available, its students are speaking boldly about the futures they intend to build.
