About WFM

The Need for Wells in Malawi

Malawi is a small landlocked country in central east Africa. About 13 million call Malawi home which makes it very densely populated.
It is one of the ten poorest countries in the world.
About 40% of the population live on less than $1 a day and a further 30% live on less than $2 a day.
Many people in Malawi do not have access to disease-free water.
Eighty-five percent of the population in Malawi live in rural villages surrounded by fields, crops and jungle. Water is often collected from small streams, rivers or holes dug in the ground.

Such practices carry a high risk of catching water borne diseases such as cholera. A severe cholera infection left untreated could kill within hours.

With less developed immune systems, many children die from these preventable diseases.

Through our partnership with MMM we build shallow hand dug wells which provide clean water.

How is a well made?

The villagers build the well under the direction of a trained Supervisor.

A suitable location is chosen.
A hole 1.5 meters in diameter with a depth of between 3 and 10 metres (two metres below where water is struck) is dug by hand.
The well is lined with fired bricks then rendered with cement.
A PVC pipe for water to be pumped to the surface is fixed in the centre of the well.
A pump is fitted.