Every year on the 22nd of March, the world commemorates World Water Day as a way of raising awareness of major water-related issues and to inspire action to tackle the water and sanitation crisis. This year’s World Water Day is themed “Water for Peace.” Read our blog article to learn more about what our WASH program is doing to promote peace and foster harmony.
Community Based Water Management in Malawi
Drilling a borehole or well is the first step toward clean water in Malawi. Then comes management.
Community Based Management in Malawi
Community Based Management is an idealistic approach to development. The objective is for communities to sustainably finance and manage their water systems. Through training, they are empowered to assume responsibility for their water supply. In reality, communities don’t always have the authority or resources to properly manage WASH. Other players must be involved. We break down each of these players below, including the community.
1. Local Community Members
Local communities are the core of WASH initiatives. 10 community members make up each Water Point Committee. These committees maintain their villages’ boreholes. They advocate for sanitation and hygiene. And they collect tariffs to fund maintenance. They represent the end goal of community based management in Malawi.
These committees represent villages. They gather on-the-ground, community-level intel about WASH access. Then, they inform the District Water Office about their community’s needs.
3. District Water Office
The District Water Office is the supervisor. It is their job to approve all water projects in the district. They listen to community needs. They gather data. And they work with nonprofits like Orant to implement needed changes.
4. Orant
Orant is a doer. We work with communities to make water accessible. To start, we assess water access and quality. With the findings, we determine which communities to serve. Then, we drill wells, run WASH education initiatives, and train community leaders. We are a mentor and liaison for community members. In other words, we make sure communities have the resources and advocates they needed to safely manage their resources.
In conclusion: it takes a village.
Creating stability in Malawi is a group effort. Villagers work with chiefs. Chiefs work with nonprofits. Nonprofits work with government officials. When schools need improved latrines, community members provide bricks, sand, and quarry stones. Teachers tell their students to wash their hands. Everyone plays a part. On the other side of the world, you do too.
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The Orant Journal
We are excited to have trained the Chika Water Point Committee (WPC) as a way of ensuring sustainability. Read our latest blog to learn more about WPCs and the role they play.
We are excited to tell you about the new borehole our WASH program has drilled in Chika Village, T/A Njombwa in Kasungu. Read our latest blog to learn more about how this new borehole will change the lives of people in Chika Village.
Our Water and Sanitation program continues to make a significant difference in the lives of students in rural Malawi. Read our latest blog to learn about how we support hygiene initiatives in primary schools in Dowa, Malawi.
Yona Maloto has been a Water Field Assistant for Orant's Water & Sanitation Program since 2020. We interviewed him to learn more about his work.
Clean water is a gendered issue in Malawi. Women and girls bear the brunt of the water burden. Malita Chimbalame tells her story.
Madzi ndi Moyo: water is life. Melina Maiko of Central Malawi reflects on the gift of water. A new water well impacts her family and village.
Orant makes clean water accessible in rural Malawi by drilling and maintaining boreholes. In 2021, Orant drilled 15 new boreholes.
Poor sanitation and hygiene are major contributors to the burden of disease and school dropouts in rural schools and communities in Malawi.
Orant received the Solinst Water Meter only a few weeks ago but is already putting it to use in the Water & Sanitation Program.