The first ever Brewgooder funded project is based in the small village of Chiluzi within the Dedza district of Malawi.

As one of the most densely populated countries in Africa and home to 17 million people, the availability of water for domestic and agricultural use has significantly reduced in Malawi due to extreme weather, rapid population growth and ground-water contamination.

This has increased the risks of disease outbreaks and crop failure. Nearly 85% of the population in Malawi live in rural areas and the agriculture sector supports the majority of livelihoods in the country. Access to reliable, available, affordable, sustainable clean water is still a major issue in many districts across the country. Many hand pumps that have been built are broken, resulting in people returning to unsafe water sources.

Following our successful launch back in 2016, we were able to commit to the funding of a solar-powered 3,000 litre water tank, replenished every four hours, that supports 3 taps and piped water into a nursery school feeding programme and a pre/ante-natal clinic. During a recent visit we were able to see first-hand the ways in which these taps are having a positive impact on people’s lives. For example, having a water provision for the pre/ante-natal clinic means that pregnant women no longer have to travel 18km by foot to the nearest clinic, expectant and new mothers can access essential services for their children under 5 in the local community.

Being able to access these taps located in separate areas around the school has significantly reduced the manual effort and time needed to fetch water. The implementation of the nursery feeding programme which includes breakfast and lunch school meals, has had a substantial impact on nourishment, concentration levels and overall attendance at the school.