When we first met Dina, she was waking up her children at 4 a.m. so they could make two trips to collect water before school. Tragically, the hand-dug pit outside of Kwenje Village was a source of misery for Dina and her neighbors. The murky water was filled with dirt and debris, and often, women had to shoo away cows and wildlife that drank from the same source. During the dry season, the pit would eventually run dry, and Dina and her children would have to walk even farther to find another water source. Dina often made the difficult journey while carrying her youngest granddaughter, Rosemary, on her back.
“All of us are suffering,” Dina said at the time. “I’m most unhappy to see my children suffering from the water, and without help, my granddaughters will start collecting water from this pit in just a few years’ time. If [our village] gets a borehole, they will never have to draw water from this dangerous place.”
Dina’s greatest fear at the time was what could happen to her granddaughters at the pit.
“They could slip and fall in and drown,” she lamented. “I’ve slipped and fallen in myself many times.”
Related: Water Issues Across the World
Today, Dina’s life is very different. Through the Wells of Salvation campaign, U.S. donors provided the funds for the Diocese of Chipata to drill and install a hand-pump well just minutes from Dina’s home. Her children no longer have to rise at 4 a.m. to collect water, and according to our ministry partner, health has greatly improved for families like Dina’s in Kwenje Village.
Importantly, Dina’s granddaughters will never have to collect water from the distant pit.
“We are really happy that you have helped us,” Dina beamed. “Our children do not have to wake up too early in the morning. They can concentrate on reading, studying and going to classes.”
Dina has long encouraged her children to focus on their education, and having clean water has certainly made a difference. In fact, one of her sons is now attending a Zambian university and is working toward his goal of becoming a doctor.
Through the Wells of Salvation campaign, Cross Catholic Outreach donors drilled or repaired a total of 109 wells in Zambia and Malawi. This incredible outpouring of generosity came at a critical time as the region endured its worst cholera outbreak in decades. According to the Zambia Public Health Institute, this urgent health crisis was responsible for approximately 500 deaths in Zambia in just a matter of months, and just a year prior, Malawi recorded more than 1,000 cholera deaths.
Cholera is a bacterial infection most often spread through drinking contaminated water. According to our ministry partners, data from government health institutes show the clean water wells drilled as a result of the Wells of Salvation campaign have resulted in zero cholera cases. This is true even in communities that have long suffered from severe cholera outbreaks such as villages near Nkhata Bay in Malawi’s Diocese of Mzuzu.
According to Auxiliary Bishop Yohane Suzgo Nyirenda, clean water has been transformational in high-risk villages in the Diocese of Mzuzu. “I want to give a word of thanks to you for your support through Cross Catholic Outreach in these projects for clean water,” he said. “The boreholes have been drilled, sanitation ideas have been shared, and people are able to prevent waterborne diseases through your initiatives. People are able to smile and live healthy lives. We thank you very much, and may God bless you for your continued kindness and prayers.”
Related: How Catholics Can Help Fight Zambia’s Cholera Crisis
Because Ellen’s village in Malawi’s Diocese of Mzuzu was experiencing a high number of cholera cases, diocesan leaders made it a priority to provide families there with a new water system. The local Caritas ministry worked closely with nearby hospitals and health centers to determine which communities were suffering similar outbreaks of waterborne diseases and decided that Magonera Village needed to have a system installed as soon as possible.
Throughout her life, Ellen never had access to a clean water source. That all changed the moment a drilling rig arrived in Magonera Village. Ellen and her neighbors were thrilled, knowing that their access to clean water would soon be a reality. This was especially meaningful to Ellen because she had narrowly survived a bout of cholera in 2023. She says the safe water source has redeemed her community from death!
Watch Ellen’s Video Message:
We celebrate alongside Dina, Ellen and many others in Zambia and Malawi who are experiencing the blessings of clean, safe water. At Cross Catholic Outreach, we believe sharing clean water is a fundamental part of our sacred duty, and we are committed to mobilizing the global Catholic Church to transform the poor and their communities materially and spiritually for the glory of Jesus Christ.
To successfully accomplish that goal, we will continue to collaborate with partners such as the Diocese of Chipata, the Diocese of Mzuzu and others throughout Africa to ensure many more children and families are able to access the water they need to survive and thrive. We pray friends like you will join us in this powerful mission to share the gift of clean water.
Donations from this campaign will be used to cover any expenditures for this project incurred through June 30, 2027, the close of our ministry’s fiscal year. In the event that more funds are raised than needed to fully fund the project, the excess funds, if any, will be used to meet the most urgent needs of the ministry.
