By Fr. Dominic, Malawi, Africa 
  Being a local priest serving in a rural parish in Malawi has enriched my experience as a pastor but has also exposed me to another reality, which is a threat to human development. I have been at St. Peter’s Parish in the Diocese of Mangochi since September 2024 and every day, every week, I see women and girls walking long distances to fetch water for domestic use. Most of them are drinking unsafe water from Luwesa River. I found this as a challenge and an issue worth sharing. St. Peter’s Parish is home to 1400 Parishioners. The Parish has nine mission churches. The biggest problem is lack of access to clean water whose best answer is the provision of borehole wells.
   Access to portable water is crucial for human health, as it prevents waterborne diseases, supports basic hygiene practices, contributes to proper nutrition, and its essential for overall wellbeing, especially in developing countries like Malawi where lack of clean water can lead to significant health issues and hinder economic development.
  To break it down further, the provision of borehole well is a solution because - 1. Better Water Quality: Ground water from borehole wells is usually of better quality than water from shallow hand dug wells, which are more vulnerable to contamination. 2. Reduced reliance on rainfall: Borehole wells reduce the need to rely on rain for Agriculture, which is the main source of food and income in Malawi.  3. Cost-effective: Borehole wells are generally cheaper than gravity fed piped systems, which are typically only found in areas with high population density. 4. Improved health: Borehole wells provide safe reliable water for domestic use such as cooking, washing and drinking. This improves health and reduces the risk of some diseases like cholera.
   In conclusion, the situation at hand within communities around St. Peter’s Parish in the Diocese of Mangochi, needs an urgent attention. When I was at St. Matthias church which is twenty miles away from where I stay, parishioners opted to be given portable water over having their grass-roofed church rebuilt, a clear sign that indeed water is life.