Families: 80 households
Water Committee: 3 men and 7 women

The first reaction in Chikapa Makono is gratitude. “Thank you Lord; you favored us. You have blessed us and have given us a water well. We are chosen.” For this community, the new well is the first water source they have had in their area.

Before the well, getting water meant crossing the highway and roadway or relying on local water during the rainy season. That water often brought diarrhea and cholera. The nearest borehole served nearly 200 households, creating such long lines that collecting a single bucket could take two hours. Women waited for hours, sometimes fighting over their place in line, while the long journeys also brought concerns about safety and the risk of rape.

Now, the water is close enough to change the ordinary parts of the day. Auntie Ellen, who is over 70, can collect water, wash her clothes, and bathe before bed without making the difficult trip to the old water source. At the dedication, the excitement was almost impossible to contain as women gathered around the well to wash. “Water is everywhere,” they celebrated.

The change is already reaching the children. Before the well, only about 30% of girls and 30% of boys were attending school regularly. Now, attendance has reached 100% for both. With water no longer consuming hours of the day, the community is already thinking beyond the well itself. They want to build toilets and gardens, using the water to continue building on what has already changed.