Families: 50 + 3 surrounding villages
Water Committee: 4 men and 6 women

For families in Kakhomwa, collecting water meant waking before sunrise and walking to the Msindikiza River. During the dry season, the river would shrink into pools, forcing families to dig holes to find water. They shared the river with cows, monkeys, and even cobras. Women would leave around 5 a.m. and return around 8 a.m. with only two buckets of water.

The long wait for water often caused conflict. Women would fight for their place in line, and families experienced quarrels at home over water. Today, families can collect anywhere from five to 12 buckets a day, and they no longer have to organize their lives around a three-hour trip for water.

With water nearby, families can wash their clothes and belongings and bathe up to three times a day. They also report that there have been no water-related illnesses in seven months. Instead of waking at 5 a.m. to fetch water, residents can now sleep until around 7 a.m.

The extra time and water are creating new opportunities. Families are growing gardens and earning income by selling doughnuts, bananas, and makala. There is also greater peace at home now that water is no longer a source of constant stress.

The new well is especially meaningful for women in the community. For the first time, women have been elected to leadership positions on the water committee, with six women serving alongside four men.

Children are benefiting, too. Before the well, only about 40% of children attended school. Today, attendance has risen to 80% at Msindikiza Primary School, 3 kilometers away. Residents say water has made a greater difference in getting children to school than new buildings or paved roads ever could.

After years of hearing promises from politicians and charities that never came to fruition, Kakhomwa finally has reliable water close to home. The well has brought healthier families, more time, greater peace at home, and new possibilities for the future.