Families: 53 (approximately 230 people)
Water Committee: 4 men and 6 women

Before the water well was installed, families in Kamphinda relied on water from Thungulu Primary School, about 2 kilometers away. During the rainy season, they often turned to local water pits instead. Long lines at the water sources led to frequent fights, and families could collect only about two buckets of water a day.

The lack of reliable water made bathing especially difficult. Washing was rare because the little water families could collect had to be reserved for drinking and cooking. Community members described how difficult it was to keep themselves and their households clean.

Health was another concern. The wider Salima area experiences cholera, and two people from Kamphinda suffered from cholera in 2023. During the rainy season, the difficulty of reaching safer water sources made families more dependent on local sources.

Since the well was installed, families can collect much more water for their daily needs. What once amounted to about two buckets a day has increased to as many as 10–15 buckets for some households. Families say they can now wash as often as five times a day, and keeping everything clean is no longer a struggle.

The change is also creating new opportunities. Families have started gardens and can spend more time working on their farms instead of searching for water. The community is also preparing to mold bricks for a new classroom.

Children are benefiting from the change as well. Thungulu Primary School’s headmaster has noticed that children from the community are arriving at school clean and on time. With water no longer taking up so much of their time, families can better prepare their children for school each day.

Community members say the change has even reached their marriages and family relationships. With better access to water and the ability to bathe regularly, women say they feel more confident and that relationships within the community have improved.

For Kamphinda, the well has brought something the community had been missing for years: enough water to care for their families, keep clean, grow food, work, and send their children to school ready to learn.