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"Water Gives Life"

Last October the EICanada staff had the opportunity to meet a young girl from Ontario, Canada who personally raised the money needed to build a well in Malawi, one of our project countries.

Alexis, a 13 year old from a small town, felt drawn to meet the basic needs of a community in Malawi. She, with some help from family members, set out to raise money for the construction of a well. A family member put together a webpage for her and away she went with her idea: "Water Gives Life." Through different means, one of which was to sell awareness bracelets, she single-handedly raised the money necessary to build the well.

The result: a needy community in Malawi will receive the gift of clean water! Alexis aptly named her campaign "Water Gives Life." You can check out her webpage at watergiveslife.org. On her home page she reflects on the materialism so prominent in North America which stands as such a contrast to the day-by-day basic needs of the poorest people in our world:

"I began thinking about people whose thoughts are not of these material things but of the essentials such as having enough food and water.

I had seen a program about the poverty and illness in Africa. The show explained how people had to walk long distances each day to collect water to drink and for cooking. The water came from a waterhole and was filthy, full of bacteria and disease. Even though the water is not fit for consumption, the people of the villages have no other choice but to drink it because it is all they have. I decided that I wanted to make a difference. I asked my parents not to throw me a birthday party and instead use the money to help purchase BRACELETS for my cause, WATER GIVES LIFE."

Above: an example of a finished well in Malawi

Not long after our meeting with Alexis one of the EICanada Interns in Malawi wrote the first update letter. This is part of what she wrote:
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Update #1

"I am working with Emmanuel International Canada in Zomba, Malawi. I have just returned from the village of Kamalo, in Zomba District, where construction is underway for the well. The villagers were quite excited because after two weeks of hard digging, they have reached water!

They will still need to dig for a few more days so that the well is deep enough to ensure a steady supply of water, but we are already in the process of buying the extra materials that will be needed (cement, pump, etc). The villagers have been contributing to the process by moulding bricks which will be used to line the inside of the well, and they have been collecting quarry stones and sand which will be mixed to create concrete for the top of the pump. They have also been doing the digging themselves. Having them so involved in the process helps to increase their ownership over the project and will help to ensure that they maintain the well once it is finished.

"The community is quite excited and enthusiastic about this project because their current water situation is less than ideal. Some women walk two kilometres to a borehole in the next village. The weather is quite hot, and this is a very tiring journey for the women and girls who are responsible for carrying the heavy pails of water back on their heads. Some families obtain their water from a small stream that runs close to the village. This water is not clean, and the villagers often fall sick from drinking the contaminated water.

"The third option is for women to use the open well that is located in their community. This water is not safe either, because the well is open and is very shallow which means that it often dries up, so there is not a lot of water available. Collecting this water is a very time-consuming task as the women and girls have to wait for the water to trickle into the well before they can collect it.

"There are 70 families who live in Kamalo. Most families in this village have five or more children. This means that thanks to your generosity and hard work, approximately 490 people will soon receive clean, safe water, in abundance."

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Update #2 - October 31, 2007

"I just got back from visiting Kamalo village and wanted to let you know how quickly progress is coming along on their well. Already villagers have finished making the bricks, which is quite a time consuming task.

"First they dig a big hole and fill it with mud. They add some water and then use their feet to mix the water and the mud. There is a wooden mold that they use to shape the bricks, then they leave them out in the sun to dry, for approximately two weeks. Once the bricks are dry, they build a kiln out of the bricks that they have molded and they leave holes open at the bottom, kind of like an upside down sandcastle. They light fires in the holes which cook the bricks. The firing takes about 24 hours. These bricks are used to line the inside of the well, to ensure that the walls do not collapse.

"Small pieces of rocks, like the gravel that you can find on dirt roads in Canada, are collected to be mixed with cement and water to create concrete. In many cases they have to pound large rocks/boulders with big hammers to get the smaller pieces. The concrete is used to keep the bricks glued together inside the well. Concrete will also be used to create the cover for the well and the wash basin that will be located close by.

"The people in Kamalo are very excited about this well. Their enthusiasm is very contagious, and it is always a great experience to go and see their progress."

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Update #3 - November 25, 2007

I visited last week to check up on the progress and it is coming along quite nicely. The bricks on the inside of the well have been covered with concrete to prevent them from caving in, and a drainage line has been installed, so that excess water does not accumulate on the ground surrounding the well. Also, a laundry basin has been constructed a few meters away from the well so that women and children can wash their family’s clothes and have easy access to the water.

Work for the next little while will involve fitting a concrete cover/seal over top of the well, to prevent bugs and small animals from contaminating the water. Following this, a pump will be installed to make it easy for the community to access the water.

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Update #4 - January 17, 2008

I’m happy to report that construction on the Kamalo well is now finished and the community has clean, safe drinking water. I was there to visit yesterday and was excited to see the many people gathered around to collect water. I drank some myself and it tasted very refreshing!

All that is left is to have a “hand-over” ceremony with the community. We hope to have this happen within the next two weeks or so.

Alexis is currently raising money for another well in Malawi. It goes to show that one person really can make a difference in the lives of others.

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