Temwa’s WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) Project Changes the Livelihoods of Families
Nepiya Nkhonjera Gondwe was born and raised in Joloti, where he now lives with his wife and four children. To support his family, Nepiya relies on selling his handmade washing baskets and mats and selling some of the cassava he grows. To supplement this, he does piece work, like clearing farmland and supporting other farmers.

Nepiya says that, before Temwa began the WASH project in Joloti, the family used to drink contaminated water and had no proper sanitation facilities. They frequently suffered from diarrhoea. Now, following advice from the WASH committee, they have a water filter, and a rubbish pit and practise good food and personal hygiene.
“We no longer have diarrhoea cases in this house.” He said.

Nepiya has noticed a decrease in illness beyond his household too. He says community members used to carry patients suffering from diarrhoea, dysentery, and cholera to the health centre on a stretcher. Still, they have not had to do this since the project began.
“I would like to continue following all the WASH best practices that Temwa is promoting and also to continue drinking water from the water filters so that we prevent suffering waterborne diseases.”

Access to Clean Water, Hygiene Education and better Sanitation
Temwa’s WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) project provides simple ceramic water filters to protect people from waterborne diseases. Families contribute towards the filters, which can then be reinvested in other community health initiatives. Alongside this we also deliver hygiene education and build demonstration latrines within each community we support so that families like Nepiyas can replicate in their own homes.
Between 2017 and 2022, Temwa has successfully worked in ten communities to help reduce waterborne diseases and we are now focusing our attention on reaching more communities. We have been working with two new villages, Joloti and Yepe, along the shore of Lake Malawi. This followed a request from local chiefs and Village District Council members to address the rising cases of WASH-related diseases in the area.
Read more about this project in our latest report here.
You can also read about this in our recent impact report.