Families: 43 + Kalonga Village
Water Committee: 4 men and 6 women
Chief: Lemani Reuben

Makunje M’bwana 1 had been asking for water for a long time. The village had even repaired its road four times after government promises that a water project would come. Each time, they waited. Each time, nothing came. So when WWFA arrived, there was understandable hesitation. Paul Machiiza encouraged the community to try again, and the villagers worked together to make the road passable for the drilling team.

Before the well, families depended on the seasonal Chimbiya River, about three kilometers away. During the dry season, some walked as far as five kilometers to a school borehole. Three other villages shared the river, and fights over water became so common that the chief sometimes had to intervene. Women could spend much of the day collecting water, leading to suspicion and tension in their marriages. Waterborne illness was another constant. Diarrhea was common, and families walked two hours to the clinic three to six times a month for treatment such as chlorine and ORS.

Now, the same families are using their time differently. They can collect three, four, or six buckets a day without sacrificing an entire morning. They are growing tomatoes, chili peppers, and other vegetables, washing clothes, and buying things that once felt out of reach—soap, salt, chickens, clothing, and maize milling. Three new houses have already been built, with more bricks being molded.

The change is particularly meaningful for the women on the water committee. Four had never held a leadership position before. “We feel good about being in a leadership role. It’s an honor,” they said. They can also bathe two or three times a day, rather than saving a small pot of water for their husbands and going days between baths themselves.

And the children are no longer being asked to choose between water and school. Families can wash their uniforms, and all ten water committee members said their children are now attending school.

Perhaps the most fitting description came from the community itself: “It’s a dream come true.” After years of repairing roads and waiting for promises to become reality, Makunje M’bwana finally has water to show for its persistence.