'Reunion on the Water' is a twice-monthly blog series where those who have participated in past trips to Malawi share their stories and experiences. Our mission is to provide clean water to rural schools in the country. Read Part 3 Here
The Drive to Kapiri
Imagine for a moment driving several long hours through stretches of rural Malawi and finally arriving at your destination. You can see the school buildings between the lanky trees, rising from the orange dirt; the sun beats down and dust kicks up around the van as you trundle down the final path. As the van bumps over the ground, you start to notice children running up beside the vehicle, waving and smiling, amassing in groups. When the van stops, the crowds continue to gather – these students have awaited your arrival, cheering and welcoming you to their school and their home. You step down from the van and are immediately engulfed by their welcome, their outstretched arms, their kind eyes and wide smiles and heartfelt greetings. This is the Kapiri school, where two borehole wells have just been built for 2,300 students.
The view as the group stepped out of the van when they arrived in Kapiri.
Hanging the Kapiri Borehole Sign
All of the schools the group visited during their time in Malawi had a special impact in their own unique way, because each community “had their own personality”. This made every stop along the way a new opportunity to learn, grow, and build bridges across culture and language. Wherever they went, the purpose was to celebrate the progress and goals they had accomplished together: clean water, more access to education, better hygiene and sanitation, and strong partnerships. When the group came to Kapiri, the two boreholes had just been finished; indeed, a major activity of their visit was adorning the official commemorative sign to the outer wall. To date, Kapiri is one of the largest schools that GRO or WASH has funded boreholes for, with 43 villages contributing to the school. In unanimous feeling, it was the sheer size of the community that made the impact of Kapiri so memorable and influential. When the travelers arrived, they recalled being “absolutely overwhelmed with energy”. The powerful welcome they received was only a precursor to what they described as a visit that had “so, so much thought put into it”.
Charlotte (right) and Bridget (left) help Kapiri teachers and students officially hang the commemorative sign on the Kapiri well.
The Kapiri Experience
When I asked the group at the reunion to describe their experience, I found expressions deep in awed reminiscence. As the third visit of a long travel day, Kapriri was for many reasons “a turning point” where various aspects of their journeys and learning experiences clicked into place. How to connect across language barriers, how to exchange gratitude, how to be open-minded and embracing of all new things, and how to properly soak up all that they were experiencing seemed to reach a crossroads at Kapiri. Things began to take on even more harmony and understanding – but it’s still difficult, even after proper time to reflect, to encapsulate all that it meant. Tom Lawry admits he “can’t quite explain the Kapiri experience”, for it feels there aren’t quite the words to do it justice. Paul Treffert expresses that the whole visit elicited an “inexplicable adrenaline rush”; the excitement contained just in getting to meet people was enormous, and the fact that it was followed with ceremonies, dances, and celebrations made every moment in Kapiri utterly life-changing.
Patrick and Kapiri community members performing a traditional dance.
Kapiri's Warm Welcome
In anticipation of the group’s arrival, the Kapiri community had organized a special celebration to express gratitude, introduce their culture, and create bonds of friendship. The members of GRO and WASH, as honored guests, were given seats at tables set with flowers and tablecloths under a tent to shade them. Their places completed a circle of students, community members, and elders who had come together for the occasion. During this monumental afternoon, the Kapiri wells were officially dedicated. Following the nailing of the sign, members of the Kapiri community performed traditional dances and songs to commemorate the day and thank their guests. It was during this ceremony that Papa Steve was also given an exceptional honor – having visited Malawi now three times and having built such strong connections with our partners, our Malawian friends bestowed a warrior’s garb, crown, shield, and spear upon Papa Steve in a special ceremony. By some miracle, even the spear made it through TSA back to the States, and the ensemble is now lovingly displayed in Papa Steve’s study. It makes regular appearances at WASH meetings and presentations, and he extends the honor to others by showing them the craftsmanship of each incredible piece. And because the majority of the ensemble is made from goat’s hide, someone made the critical decision to let Papa Steve know about the colloquial acronym “G.O.A.T” (Greatest Of All Time), which he now utilizes for plenty of puns at our meetings. The true honor, I believe, from such a remarkable gesture like this, is the gifting of something so meaningful to Malawian culture as a representation of gratitude and friendship. There is a genuinely tangible and visible respect in our partnership on both sides, and in Kapiri, everyone was able to celebrate that together.
First image: Papa Steve being bestowed his warrior’s uniform.
Second image: The group watches Charlotte and Patrick give a speech to students and teachers at Kapiri.
Another look at the warrior ensemble.
GRO's Presentation at Kapiri School
The boreholes at Kapiri were the first completed wells organized by the new generation of GRO. As their representative, Charlotte Bullard took the opportunity to thank the community and share some words on behalf of the rest of her team. For her, being able to see in person the first wells she had a hand in developing was deeply impactful, in addition to having already seen many of the wells GRO had left a legacy with. She expressed to me how excited she had been to meet the students, teachers, and community members while in Kapiri because it meant she got to experience seeing the well for the first time alongside them. Most of all, Charlotte was looking forward to visiting Kapiri so that when she returned to the U.S., she could tell Linda – the donor for the Kapiri school boreholes – all about the impact her donation had made. Charlotte explained to me that this helped clarify that “it’s not about what we (GRO) do, but what the donors do”. When Linda read that fateful article in the Catholic Herald many months before, no one knew how many lives her future donation would touch. It was important to Charlotte, and to all of the travelers, that pictures, videos, and personal anecdotes of the trip were recorded and reported back to the donors.
Charlotte gives her speech to the Kapiri crowd on behalf of GRO.
Sharing with Our Generous Donors
That is the heart of the GRO and WASH for Life operations – the donors. During his trip in 2023, Ethan Kapelka really wanted to “focus on capturing things to share with the donors”, because it is their generosity that allows for any of these memories, moments, and life-changing experiences to happen. In 2024, that goal continued, and the group made sure to document their trip in a multitude of ways (this blog being one of them!). When everyone returned home, the travelers opened a presentation about their trip for anyone to attend, while Charlotte and the GRO girls gave Linda a personalized presentation in greater detail about Kapiri. We know that when you donate to GRO or WASH for Life, you are imparting upon us not only your generosity, but your impact, your trust, and your faith. You are gifting us a strong and vital piece of partnership in the global network that our work thrives on. In return, we want donors to be able to see their donation put to work and given meaning in real time – which means introducing people across continents, celebrating our shared goals, and making sure we continue open communication through the whole process and after. Any donations made to GRO or WASH are investments in health, education, people, and connection for a long time to come.
The Kapiri community watches some of the celebrations.
Inspiring Meaningful Change
At Kapiri and in every community the travelers were so graciously welcomed into, each person developed an acute sense of belonging to something much bigger than themselves or GRO or WASH – something that transcends language and culture and the great expanse of a deep blue sea. A small part of a whole, every member of the group understood better the technical processes of constructing boreholes, learned about the daily lives of people in a different country and culture, and discovered new facets of themselves along the way. It is one thing to hear and know from a distance that you are making an impact, but it is another thing altogether to see in real time how your efforts and time have been shaped to make the world a better place. It allows realizations to arise and perspectives to shift. Watching Charlotte, Bridget, Alyssa, and his own daughter, Emily, Paul reflects on seeing all the wells over the course of the trip with awe and pride. He explains, “for both generations of GRO to build something from nothing is remarkable. It shows us just how youthfulness can be more courageous”. Looking back on my own experience in GRO as we started from the ground up, I think that encapsulates perfectly the mindset GRO wants to encourage – that there is no factor of determination which predisposes you to what impact you can make. If you engage in that belief and have the people supporting you to make it happen, you can do your part to make meaningful change.
Alyssa (front) and Emily take a selfie with some of the Kapiri students.
Reflections on the Lake
No one came back from that trip to Malawi in June the same as they left. I could tell just by the energy at that table, even before the stories started to emerge, to what incredible depth these people had been impacted. Even across four installments, there hardly seems enough words to fulfill the feelings and heart and change that our travelers experienced. The lenses through which they see the world were intrinsically and irrevocably shifted for the better. As they returned together at Elkhart Lake to reminisce, there was an eagerness, an awe, a bit of bafflement. The drive they had to pursue this passion, this work, had multiplied tenfold – they were just figuring out ways to properly express it. Since the moment they returned I knew plans were already in the works to return, possibly year after year, in an effort to continue exploring and learning and deepening the friendship with our Malawian family. To them, we owe an enormous gratitude, not only for opening their arms and homes in welcome, but also for taking the time and space to teach us about what was important to their lives and traditions.
First image: Papa Steve and his granddaughter, Bridget, an original GRO girl.
Second image: The group, including Patrick, as they travel together (Paul is behind the camera!)
Marcella's Conclusion
As I wrap up this journey of recollection, I am more than ever eager to make the trip to Malawi myself, perhaps and preferably alongside the other GRO girls who sparked this journey with me. For now, however, I am still pouring over the memories and stories and photos of this marvelous adventure, gripped with a renewed sense of clarity for our mission and passion. And at this point, with new momentum and more opportunities on the horizon, this is only the beginning. We’re just getting started – and we’d love for you to join us.
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