This is to let you know about the activities that are happening in Malawi with the Malawi Water Project. Accompanied by my sister, Peggy Beswick, we spent the month of May in Malawi. We joined Sarah Falconer who has been working with the Project since September and visited all three Project areas to see how things are going.Our first visit was to our North Project where we met with the team members and learned more about villages that are along the shores of Lake Malawi. Because there aren’t roads to the villages, transportation is by boat and because the drilling equipment to drill a borehole is too heavy to carry by boat into the village, they are forced to use the lake water for drinking. The water is contaminated and villagers especially children get sick from drinking it. There are often outbreaks of cholera in these villages.

Following the ceremony we drove up the mountain to Chiromo 2, a village that has been working with the Malawi Water Project since 2014. There was a competition among several villages who are working with the Malawi Water Project and this community won the competition. The village is very clean, filters are well cared for and we viewed one of the cleanest latrines I have seen in Malawi.

Certificates were given to 6 community members who consistently used their filters, cared for them properly and had all of the health parameters for a healthy home.

The village headwoman, Delia Mtonyo received a certificate as well as a bucket with a tap and soap. She has been instrumental in making sure her village is healthy. After the ceremony we sat and talked with her and she was telling us that since 2014 they have been working on keeping their village clean and healthy. She said that her village is about 10 Kms away from the clinic and there used to be cholera outbreaks in her village. Often before villagers could get a person with cholera down the hill to the clinic they would have died on the way. She has eradicated cholera in her village by using the filters and by following the instructions of the team from the Malawi Water Project.

Everyone loved the drummers and dancers and really laughed at the drama group. The women did an excellent job of traditional dancing and singing. Here we are joining in wearing our chitenjay dresses.

It was an excellent day and the Dignitaries were impressed. The Project is becoming known which is good, however, we have increased demand for the filters and for our team to help villages create and maintain a healthy environment.

Our plans for the coming year are to move into more remote communities that are difficult to reach. The transportation costs will increase but it is very crucial for these communities to have access to filters and access to training on proper sanitation and hygiene which is saving lives.

2017 Trip to Malawi

What's a Biosand Filter?

Great Sadness