Since 2017, we have been able to build 20 boreholes in Malawi to provide clean water to communities. The boreholes have been extremely useful to the people in those communities. In August 2022, we inspected all 20 boreholes to ensure all were in working order.
Unfortunately, five of the boreholes we inspected were worn to a non-working state. We felt it was important to put in the time and energy to get them working again. Today, we are happy to say that all 20 boreholes have been repaired to working order. In order to accomplish this, we had to train community members with borehole repair and maintenance as well as purchase the equipment necessary to make these fixes.
Our Solution
The factor that contributed the most towards the dysfunctionality of the boreholes was the lack of trained people that have the knowledge to maintain them.
As a result, we have created our own training process: to train local technicians for 5 days total: 3 days for theory, 2 days for intensive hands-on practice.
This training program allows the wells to be regularly maintained so that they can continue to provide clean water for many years. How often a borehole is used determines how often repairs need to be made, but major wear-and-tear can be prevented by completing minor repairs every 3 months.
Today, Patrick Tembwe, the person overseeing the program in Malawi, is in the process of offering training to 6 people interested in repairing the boreholes in the future.
Boreholes Repaired
After days of training and sweating, all 20 boreholes were repaired to working order. As a result, the people of the communities are very happy and grateful for clean water.
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