I wanted to provide an update on all of the exciting and incredible things that have gone on the first half of the year!
WASH For Life Adds 9 Boreholes In 2024 (so Far!)
First, I would like to start with the biggest and most important news: we have added a total of nine new boreholes since the start of the year! This would not be possible without the generous donors and groups that made it happen. Constructing new boreholes is our primary focus because it supports our mission of providing clean and accessible water for students in Malawi.
All nine new boreholes were added in the area of Mzimba in the northern region of Malawi and support eight different schools.
Schools with New Boreholes in 2024 (as of June 2024):
1. Ndonda Primary School
2. Kapalankhwali Primary School
3. Chang'anga Primary School
4. Euthini Community Secondary School
5. Kapiri Primary School (2 boreholes)
6. Kang'oma Primary School
7. Empopomeni Primary School
8. Kavisopo Primary School
WASH For Life continues to act as the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization for GRO, Starfish Foundation, Starfish Brothers, and Starfish Family, as well as other groups or individuals who wish to contribute to our shared mission.
This year, one borehole was contributed by Steve Steinpreis, and another borehole was contributed by the Starfish Brothers. Girls Reaching Out (GRO) contributed six boreholes this year so far, Starfish Foundation have added one.
GRO Lets the Water Flow!
The Girls Reaching Out (GRO) group has made incredible progress this year.
“So far this year, we GRO girls have raised around $45,000 for six borehole wells across Malawi, Africa. We received great news on April 27th, 2024, that two wells have hit water! We will continuously update the blogs on the borehole's progress over the next couple of weeks. We are happy to be making a difference in these small communities covering Malawi!” - Girls Reaching Out
GRO was featured in a Catholic Herald article for their fundraising efforts. It outlines a brief history of the group as well as their recent fundraising efforts. Read the article online here.
Visit the GRO website here!
St. John’s Starfish Foundation Completes Third Borehole
The Starfish Foundation, a student-led group at St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy, have completed their third borehole, at Kapalankhwali Primary School.
They have continued making progress on raising funds for their next borehole at school sporting events and by giving informative presentations about Malawi’s water crisis.
Since starting to write this blog, the Starfish Foundation have announced that they have completed raising funds for their fourth borehole! Great job, Starfish Foundation and donors!
Visit the Starfish Foundation website here!
Striking Dust: A Story of Faith
While drilling the borehole at Kang'oma Primary School, we ran into some issues. Instead of striking a flood of water 125 feet below the ground, or even 195 feet, the drilling turned up dry dirt and dust with no sign of water. And at the end of the day, the driller left and we were with an unsuccessful borehole drill. How could this have happened? Was the ground survey wrong? This was the first time something like this had occurred. At that point, we needed to decide whether to try to drill again, or give up hope that there is any water beneath Kang'oma School.
“We held a very long meeting with school management committee, teachers and village heads. They are asking for one more chance. They have identified and allocated another area for a borehole. What is needed is for the surveyor to come and do another survey… This is the sincere request from the community. Teachers are already pushing to be moved away and if they succeed, the school will be closed.”
Without a borehole, the school was nearing shutdown, and the next closest school was 10 miles away. We had to decide if we wanted to take the risk to survey and drill again, which costs money, facing the possibility that the same dry drilling could happen again.
Ultimately, we decided to try to drill for water again because otherwise the school faced closure. Our mission is to support the education of students by providing access to clean water, and without taking this risk, we would not have lived up to our mission.
Finally, after another attempt, we successfully hit water. The school would have a new borehole!
Read about Malawi Trip 2024!
Last month, a group of eight traveled to the beautiful country of Malawi for themselves. This trip comes one year after the two-week-long trip in 2023, where five people involved with WASH for Life traveled to Malawi.
We took many pictures, collecting and told many stories, and shared them on our Facebook page; you can read all about our trip there.
There is no doubt that the trip to the "Warm Heart of Africa" opened hearts and minds to what is possible with the borehole program. It reminds us how far we have come, and how much more work is yet to be done.
To our donors and supporters, sincerely, thank you!
Comments