TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan — The country of Malawi is a small nation in Southern Africa struggling to find clean water for its people. Though almost 70% of the population has access to basic water services, only 24% of them are safely managed sanitation services. Such a low percentage can lead to immense health risks for the country’s population of 19 million people, with the most prevalent being cholera. To counter this issue, several organizations are pushing to make clean water access in Malawi a reality for everyone. Here are three groups whose efforts to bring clean water to the nation are most notable.
WaterAid and WASH
WaterAid is a U.K.-based organization that aims to bring clean water to many nations around the globe. It came to Malawi in 1999 and has been operating within the country ever since.
WaterAid’s primary contribution towards clean water access in Malawi is in promoting Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) rights for everyone. To accomplish this WaterAid takes a three-pronged approach, the first of which is a Sustainable Delivery Program. This program provides models for sustainable service delivery while incentivizing the government’s involvement in WASH service delivery.
Secondly, the Sanitation and Hygiene Advancement and Prioritization program centers on making sanitation a focus for communities in Malawi. This elevates health and people’s livelihoods while lessening the risk of disease. Finally, there is the Sector Engagement and Influencing Program that emphasizes sector coordination. WaterAid works at the national level to ensure collaboration, planning and integration of all WASH rights within the country.
Recent WaterAid efforts include the 150 Health Care Facility Challenge, with 75 of these facilities receiving official support from WaterAid’s efforts. The Deliver Life 2 Project which began in 2018 and ended in March 20213 puts a focus on service delivery, as well as improving health for over 141,000 women and children.
Villages in Partnership and Water Walk
Villages in Partnership (VIP) is another non-profit originating from New Jersey and working in Malawi, specifically the Sakata region. It first began in 2008 and continues to operate in the country. VIP’s focus is on tackling poverty within the region as a whole, with a special focus on providing clean water access in rural Malawi.
Making sure clean water is available to people is the organization’s first priority when approaching a village. Since its inception, VIP has helped to drill 23 boreholes as well as construct 15 wells. The organization has also helped to fix many of the already existing wells.
Another of its most recent works for Malawi includes its annual Water Walk charity events, with the most recent taking place on May 13, 2023. This event aims to represent the efforts of girls in Malawi, who have to walk for miles to attain clean water daily. With the most recent Water Walk, the organization raised over $400,000 to provide solar irrigation and opportunities for jobs and education.
Water for People and SDG 6
Water for People is a non-profit that has worked in Malawi since 2000. The organization currently operates within the Peri-Urban Blantyre, Chikawa and Chiradzulu regions of Malawi and assists in WASH-based programs.
Water for People’s strategies are based on Sustainable Development Goal 6, which works to provide sanitation and clean water access. It aims to reach over 20 million people in numerous countries including Malawi by 2030 and has established several strategic plans to attain this goal. The most recent 2022-2024 plan intends to bring focus to its purpose and foundation. The purpose of the plan is to influence its impact on the global, national and local scale. While the foundation of the plan is built on securing financial revenue, giving better performance and recruiting people for assistance.
Further Work in Malawi
Even with the work of these groups, there is still much to do within the country. Clean water access in Malawi is still far from perfect, and there are many communities in need. The efforts of these organizations however paint a welcome picture for the future of Malawi. Through a continual focus on the people and their needs, Malawi may one day have safe drinking water and sanitation for everyone.
– Kenneth Berends
Photo: Wikimedia Commons