Until recently, this little girl, like everyone in Baluwa, was drinking muddy water that often carried water-borne diseases

The New Well at Baluwa

David’s 5th and Final Photo Blog from Malawi

Today was my final day in Malawi, and I got to be the bearer of some very good news.

I drove with Charles Mithowa about an hour-and-a-half to the village of Baluwa to interview some villagers. I wanted to know what life was like before and after their new well was installed, courtesy of Heaven’s Family’s Safe Water Ministry.

I first found a widow, the mother of 6 children, living in a mud hut with a thatched roof and no furniture inside. Her name was Fannie, and she told me, through my interpreter, that she formerly walked an hour to reach a dry riverbed in which shallow wells are dug by hand to reach the water table. There she would fill up her five-gallon Jerry can with water and then walk an hour back to her hut, carrying the can on her head. Sometimes she had to do that three times a day to have sufficient water for drinking, cooking, bathing, washing laundry, and watering a garden. Worse, the water in those shallow riverbed wells was also used by animals, and it was often a source of water-borne sickness and disease.

Fannie was full of joy as she told me how wonderful it was to have a fresh water source just one minute from her house. Plus, she and her children are no longer suffering sicknesses from drinking contaminated water. Here’s a photo of Fannie and one of her children whom she had just given a bath using water from the new well:

After spending some time filming in Baluwa, we traveled to two other villages, each several miles away, that are populated with people who are all walking hours each day to use the new well at Baluwa.

To reach the first village, we drove on remote dirt roads that are mostly used by bicycles and foot traffic, until we came to a bridge that was out and could go no further. One of our traveling companions set out on foot across the muddy riverbed to the villages on the other side, and before long a line of folks, all who are members of God’s Love Groups and learning Farming God’s Way, came out to greet me. I had the great joy of telling them that I had just received word that morning from Diane Scott, who directs Heaven’s Family’s Safe Water Ministry, that we had received funding for a well for their villages. Needless to say, they were ecstatic, and broke into shouting, dancing and singing. Their prayers had been answered.

Here’s a photo of one of their women gathering water from their current water source, which is a hole dug in the riverbed that we could not cross because the bridge was out:

Can you imagine drinking that water all your life? Now you understand why they were so happy about the news I was blessed to bring them.

I filmed an interview with a randomly-picked mother from that village, and if you’ll click on the image below of her and her family, you’ll be able to view the last few minutes of that interview to catch some of her excitement about the promised well. Get ready to be blessed by one very excited lady!

Below are a few other photos from the day, with captions. There is too much to tell! Thanks so much for joining me on this journey!

David Servant
Founder and President, Heaven’s Family

This widow (at the center) is named Elisabeth. When her house in Baluwa was destroyed by the elements, her God’s Love Group rallied to fund and build the new house behind her. That is a result of profits from Farming God’s Way and God’s love!

In Africa, babies ride all day on the backs of their mothers or older siblings

We stopped to visit this widow, who lost her house behind her to tornado-like winds. Sitting in the ruins are her 7 daughters and one grandson. Heaven’s Family’s Disaster Relief Ministry will be coming to their aid.

Heaven’s Family’s Disabilities Ministry is serving 10 disabled Malawian children, all of whom I met, with their mothers, at the end of the day today.

This cute little girl has a much better chance of staying healthy and alive now that she will soon be drinking safe water with the rest of her family