Water Wells for Africa

Water Wells for Africa (wwfa) gives fresh, clean Water to approximately 500 people each time we install a new Water well. Because of the dependability of our equipment, some have remained in constant use since 1996. All of them last decades - with only the need for simple maintenance and (rarely) repairs. We know many of our pumps have already lasted more than 20 years. Before getting a well, each recipient community must learn and commit to basic maintenance.from an equipment perspective, each pump could technically serve more people (and many do), but we intentionally seek to keep numbers at sustainable levels to protect local Water tables, ensure the longevity of both pumps and Water supplies, and keep waiting lines shorter.another important reason we keep the ratio of people-to-wells at about 500-to-1 is the fact that Water is carried home in buckets, usually by girls and women. They must walk from home to the well, wait in line, and eventually return with a bucket of Water balanced on their head (these weigh 8.3 pounds per gallon, equalling 40+ pounds per 5-gallon bucket). They usually do this multiple times per day. So, for example, if 50 people line up at the same well - and the filling process takes only two minutes each, the last person will have waited about an hours and 40 minutes before getting her single bucket of Water. This is a very real and widespread problem, but one we and our donors are helping to remedy. Waiting in line for Water creates a strain on local communities (opportunity costs) and exposes some of each community's most vulnerable people to weather, predators (animal and human), reduced schooltime, and physical hardship. More Wells means less waiting and more time for other activities such as work, education, gardening, etc. This is why we sometimes choose to place more Wells within an area: we're investing in people and their health, much more than numbers.our planning process begins with a local, on-site needs assessment. Back in 2018, we made a clear decision as an organization: when necessary, we will place more "Wells per person" because (quite simply) that is what will help them the most by bringing the greatest longterm relief and Water stability to the greatest number of people. After all - wwfa exists to serve these people. Depending on a variety of factors, we may place additional Wells on other nearby Water sources so no single pump becomes overburdened or any Water source depleted.the population of most malawian villages is in the hundreds rather than thousands of people, so we work with federal and regional governments, as well as local leaders, to maximize the impact of each well we install. Our systematic location selection process helps accomplish our "greatest number of people served over the long term" goal by placing new Wells in locations easily accessible to multiple communities. The wwfa team have also become specialists at bringing Water to people in the most remote and difficult areas. We help people in places where other Water providers often avoid. We often (and literally) "go where others won't", and our Wells are known to last so long that people sometimes relocate to be near them. This is a wonderful feeling.we usually will not install a well unless it will serve 50 or more families, and we strive for each well to meet the needs of at least 100 families. Average family size in malawi is five, so this means each well helps approximately 500 residents. When you include passing travellers, many Wells serve more than 500.a new offering wwfa provides to local schools - and one we're proud of and excited about - is our blossom project. As we worked with schools in malawi to ensure Water for students and staff, we realized that girls often missed school for a week or more during the time they menstruated. Unfortunately, there is a strong social stigma around menstruation, so they generally stay out of school rather than use the tiny thatched roof "bathroom" facility they share with boys. This program gives them a safe, secure, and more sanitary place to meet their needs.in 2023, wwfa's "small but mighty" team provided life-giving Water to approximately 27,000 more people through the completion of 54 new Wells: 21 of them in schools, and 33 in villages! We anticipate these 27,000 people having clean, close Water for at least the next 20 years. 2024 will see additional Wells in both schools and villages, and more blossom facilities too.to date, with the help of our wonderful and loyal supporters: wwfa has placed a total of 480 Wells that continue to serve about 468,320 people with fresh, life-giving Water even as you read this. Water Wells for Africa is our name, but more importantly our passion and mission. We're saving lives, increasing independence and growth within communities, and putting healthy smiles on faces across the country of malawi.our successes only make us want to accomplish more. Given adequate resources, wwfa would give every human on the planet clean Water, but pragmatism leads us to where we can do the greatest good.