Karim Family Brings Clean Water to Kuyeli Village, Nsanje District
Residents of Kuyeli Village under Traditional Authority Mbenje in Nsanje district have long struggled to access clean water, writes Moses Thole.
Malawi-Residents of Kuyeli Village under Traditional Authority Mbenje in Nsanje district have long struggled to access clean water, writes Moses Thole.
"We used to walk long distances to fetch water, which was not even clean as it was drawn from one borehole and other unprotected sources," said Ruth Msona, a resident of Kuyeli village.
But thanks to the Karim family based in Chikwawa district, the community's water situation has improved. The family installed a water tank that supplies water to the area around village head Esnart, which is 2 kilometres away from Kuyeli village.
Group Village Headwoman Kuyeli expressed her gratitude for the development, saying, "I have over 2,000 people in the village, and we have had no clean water since time immemorial. We went to the Karim family to request if they could help bring water to the area, and surely, they honoured our request."
Andrew Karlos, a teacher at Mwanawanjobu Primary School in the area, commended the Karim family for the development, stating that it has helped lessen the time he spends fetching water and preparing for work every day.
"At first, I used to be late for work because my wife would come home late from drawing water, but I am glad that we can now fetch water within our locality, a development that has solved a big challenge for us," disclosed Karlos.
Bilal Younos Abdul Karim spoke to AfricaBrief on behalf of the Karim family, expressing their commitment to helping the community access clean water.
"As a family, we thought it wise to honour the chief's request, also after noticing that this was a big challenge in the area. We bought pipes and other materials needed to install the tank and taps. We have done this with collaborative efforts from other well-wishers," revealed Bilal Younus Karim.
Karim also revealed the family's plans to drill a borehole in Khembo village under Traditional Authority Mbenje in Nsanje.
"Indeed, we are going to drill a borehole in Khembo village. We have received reports that people there are also experiencing water problems, so very soon we will work on drilling a borehole for them, and then later rehabilitate another borehole that has not been functioning in Sorgin village in Nsanje," he added.
Group Village Headwoman Kuyeli has urged her subjects to take care of the tap, adding that vandalism and theft retard development in the community.
"In a village where people take pride in vandalizing public infrastructure, that community does not excel. So every subject should take responsibility for looking after the tap and other public infrastructure. Vandalism or theft will not be tolerated," she warned.
The Karim family has used about K400,000 to connect water from Esnart village to Kuyeli village, according to Bilal Younus Karim.
The family has appealed to other well-wishers to join hands with them on their quest to drill or rehabilitate boreholes in various villages and communities to give people access to safe and clean water.
Earlier this year, the family also drilled a borehole in Zakaria village under Traditional Authority Mbenje in the district.
The borehole is saving over 1,000 residents, including learners at Magoti Primary School.