To the Readers of the Daily Breeze, Melissa Pamer, and my family and friends,
Thank you, thank you, thank you for the support and interest you all have given to the borehole project in Msangano, Malawi. I am humbled beyond words at the tremendous response to the article Melissa Pamer wrote. The money you have donated will go directly towards constructing a deep, protected well at Msangano rural health clinic. Finally, safe, drinking water will be available for this vibrant, hard-working community. Your incredible support has demonstrated generosity, empathy, and concern. I am proud to be from the South Bay and it has been such a joy linking my hometown to the rural community that I have been living in for the past 15 months.
Wachi Nyondo introduced me to the people of Msangano in January of 2010. As Melissa mentioned in the article, Wachi has been “my everything” throughout this journey. Any project that I’ve been involved with has been identified by him. Because he is born and raised in the community, he knows which community groups are dedicated and serious. At the beginning of my service, Wachi kept telling me how Msangano community would be “verrrrry happy” if we managed to do a water project. Not knowing what I was getting myself into, I agreed to visit the mountain village. We walked for two hours under the hot sun, me trekking behind Wachi’s bouncing gait. When we finally arrived, we were welcomed by 700 people sitting in the shade of the mango trees. The villagers had prepared chicken, beef, and rice to say thank you... it was already assumed we would find the funds to build a borehole. The village headmen of the catchment area then greeted me and asked if I was ready to give my speech in Chilambya. Floored (and completely unprepared), I stood awkwardly, essentially introducing myself and saying I’d do the best I could to help, emphasizing that this borehole wasn’t guaranteed be a success. I was 21 and straight-out of college. What did I know about fundraising? Regardless of my warning, the people of Msangano cheered enthusiastically and I went home that night in a bit of a panic.
Months passed and I spent a lot of time with the people of Msangano, listening to their stories and observing their appalling water supplies in both the rainy and dry seasons. Children were suffering from diarrhea, the elderly were turned away from the health clinic (due to no available water), and women were exhausted from back-breaking hours of carrying water to their families. Water was a dire problem in Msangano, something had to be done.
While I often feel uneasy about my implications in the village (i.e. the Westerner coming in and “providing” solutions), this borehole project has helped transcend those worries. It honestly feels like I’ve done nothing, but in actuality, I’ve had the opportunity to exchange skills and see collective change led by Wachi and the Msangano water committee. I credit Wachi completely for his ability to assess and seek out dedicated community groups. Msangano ensured that they had gender equal leadership and have been 110% committed to bringing safe water into their community. They are the ones who fundraised 100,000 Malawi Kwacha (roughly $666) in one month, hauled river sand for incredulous distances, and molded bricks. I simply had the pleasure of getting to know them and figuring out how to collect the money. And what I realized is that it would be completely impossible on my own. Thank you to everyone back home who supported Msangano’s vision for clean water.
Wachi always tell me “little by little makes a bundle” whenever I tell him my frustrations with how slow development can be. He usually laughs at my “Americanness” and thinks I’m strange for making a schedule or focusing on a result. Being here has made me see, however, that good things can only come with patience, open ears, and empathy. A year ago, I would have never imagined how involved the South Bay would be with this project. Thank you Melissa Pamer, for your interest in writing the article and eager initiative to gather details. Thanks to my family and friends back home for being my rock and helping spread the word. And thank you to the readers of the Daily Breeze for the time you took to contribute to this project. Most of you don’t even know me or Msangano village for that matter, and yet you took the effort to help out. Because of your generosity, life for the people of Msangano can shift from one of survival to prosperity. More importantly, you’ve proved how interconnected we all are and how capable we really are to make positive change.
Thank you (Wasalipa sana),
Kara Bellucci
