Margret, 62, is one of 135 women and girls in Nyamphota Village, Chikwawa District, who for decades carried the daily burden of collecting water.
A mother of four, she spent more than 30 years walking over four kilometres to the Mthumba River to fetch water for drinking and household use.
Starting as early as 3am, each trip took around two hours, often stretching into late morning and leaving little time for household chores or income-generating work on nearby farms.
This changed when a borehole was installed with funding from The One Foundation. To ensure long-term svustainability, a community water committee was formed and received Community-Based Management training, covering borehole maintenance and the collection of user fees to support repairs and upkeep.
“The borehole is just a few metres from my house, and the water is fresh with no salty taste,” Margret says. “This is the freedom we hoped for as women. Water used to take most of our time. Now we can farm and work nearby to support our families.”
For Margret – and for the 135 women of Nyamphota Village – access to clean water has brought lasting change.
Margret, Katunga, Malawi