Families: 35
Water Committee: 5 men and 5 women

For families in Kambadya II, finding water was especially difficult during the rainy season. A nearby stream, the Chikwe River, could be dangerous to cross, so families relied on a hand-dug well for water. During the dry season, they could collect only about one bucket a day and would wake as early as 4 a.m. to begin the search.

The water was dirty, and waterborne illness was common. One family shared that all five of their children became sick during the rainy season. Although the clinic was nearby, treatment could cost around MK 14,000, adding another burden to families already struggling with unsafe water.

Today, families can collect five, seven, eight, or even 10 buckets of water a day. Instead of waking at 4 a.m., they can sleep until 7 a.m. They can bathe twice a day, wear clean clothes, and no longer have to choose between drinking, cooking, and bathing. Before the well, food came first—even if it meant eating in dirty clothes.

The new water supply is also opening opportunities for families to earn and grow their own food. The community has a village bank and has started businesses selling tomatoes, potatoes, flowers, and chickens. For the first time, families are growing gardens during the dry season, and they are molding bricks for homes—something that was previously impossible.

Residents say the difference reaches into every part of daily life. Food tastes better, homes are cleaner, and people feel brighter. Men can bathe whenever they need to during the hot season, and older residents are enjoying the simple freedom of having enough water.

Children are benefiting as well. Before the well, only about 50% of children were attending school. Today, attendance has reached 100%.

For Kambadya II, the new well has broken what residents described as a cycle of suffering from unsafe water. As one community member put it, “We feel like God has made a way by providing a water well here.” Another resident, Agogo, summed up the change simply: “I am so proud. I can bathe often.”