Families: 45
Water Committee: 4 men and 6 women

When we first met the people of Zabiri/Chiliza in February, water was one of the community’s greatest health concerns. Families were collecting water from a shallow hole beside the creek, often waking at 2 a.m. to begin the search. The journey was dangerous, with snakes and hyenas nearby, and during the dry season they had to go even farther. The water was shared with livestock and contaminated with parasites and other illnesses.

The consequences were constant. Diarrhea, scabies, bilharzia, dysentery, and cholera had all affected the community. At the time of the February assessment, everyone was experiencing diarrhea. Medical treatment was also expensive, with families sometimes paying 20,000 to 50,000 Kwacha for a single visit. Girls carried another burden: many woke in the middle of the night to collect water and returned too late for school.

The new well has only been in place for three weeks, but the community is already noticing a striking difference. “We have stopped drinking with monkeys, snakes, hyenas.” They can now fill an entire bucket for bathing, and the itchy beans that once made bathing so uncomfortable are no longer a concern. They say they can hardly remember the last time they became sick from water.

The change is already showing up in what families are able to do with their time. They have started molding bricks for new homes, planted banana trees and vegetables, and are planning gardens. Livestock can drink from the river rather than sharing the community’s drinking water.

For Agnes, the water committee chair, the difference is simple: “We can see a great future here.”