Rachel and Merifa live in Chinganji in Malawi. It’s an area made up of 15 villages – and it’s a place of two halves. One half has clean water, and the other half doesn’t. Both girls dream of becoming doctors, but while Merifa’s dream feels within reach, Rachel’s path is filled with hurdles. The hours she spends collecting dirty water each day take a toll – not just on her time but on her health, too.

Clean water can mean the difference between a future full of possibility and a life of endless struggle.

You can help ensure children like Rachel and Merifa have a bright and healthy future.

If we had taps nearby, I am going to be very happy because I will now be able to wash all the clothes. I am going to be able to bath and have enough drinking water. I would take a bath, three times a day.
Merifa, Malawi
We no longer have to wake up early to go draw water before school, and then come back to draw more water. So it was a very good feeling for us. 
Rachel, Malawi

In Malawi, families spend on average 55 minutes per day collecting water.

With your support we can work with communities, like Rachel's, to install new clean water systems, using technologies like solar-powered bore pumps that draw water from deep underground. Combined with high-capacity water tanks and new pipe networks, this can deliver a year-round supply of safe, clean water.

WaterAid water tower and solar panels

About WaterAid

WaterAid has teams in 28 countries across the world, working with our partners to change millions of lives every year by improving access to clean water, toilets and hygiene.

Since 1981, we’ve reached almost 29 million people with clean water. But we can’t stop there.

In the last 43 years, we’ve gone from strength to strength to become one of the most respected organisations dealing solely with water, sanitation and hygiene issues.

What do WaterAid do?

While installing taps and toilets is essential to our work, we do so much more. We convince governments to change laws, link policy makers with people on the ground, pool knowledge and resources and rally support from people and organisations around the world, making lasting change happen on a massive scale.