Health & Conservation Project
Area: Villages surrounding the Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve of rural Malawi
Beneficiaries: 25 remote rural villages
Solution: Construct 10 Drilled bore wells equipped with hand pumps located centrally in each village.
Refurbish 15 non-functioning existing boreholes
Impact: 11,750 people
Cost per Well: From US$1,400
Donations over $2 are tax deductible
With quarter of its total land mass taken up by lakes, Malawi is one of the most densely populated countries in Africa and with water-borne diseases such as cholera being among the major causes of death in young children in Malawi, providing safe water and improved sanitation takes on urgent dimensions.
The provision of water wells in this project will be a gift to the communities surrounding Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve in return for their effort in wildlife conservation. This project will provide quality drinking water in water scarcity communities surrounding the reserve and also build their awareness and capacity in understanding the importance of protecting wildlife, particularly elephants and reducing wildlife trafficking.
There has never been a project around the reserve aimed at improving the participation of communities and this project will fill the knowledge gap currently seen among communities.
This project will have a water supply component to the adjacent communities, of which only 63% of the population have access to potable water, 37% of the boreholes in the area are not functioning, and 53% live below the poverty line [Nkhotakota District Council Investment Plan].