Everlasting Life Ministry has handed over a borehole worth K2.5 million to communities at Chisi Island on Lake Chilwa to improve their access to safe water.
The ministry drilled the borehole at Group Village head Tchuka, Traditional Authority Nkumbira with financial support from Forgotten Children World Wide.
Speaking at the handover ceremony at Chisi Island in Zomba, Apostle James Chikopa said they decided to drill the borehole after realising that people at Group Village head Tchuka were vulnerable to waterborne diseases due to no access to safe drinking water
He said Everlasting Life Ministry supports needy children on the island and felt it necessary to also provide them with safe water as part of the package to the children and the entire community.
Apostle Chikopa therefore appealed to people at Group Village head Tchuka to take good care of the new borehole so that it should continue serving them better.
“Let me thank Forgotten Children Worldwide for providing financial assistance for drilling the borehole here at Chisi Island. This allows the people to access safe drinking water,” he added.
Group Village headman Tchuka thanked the church for drilling the borehole, saying the lack of safe drinking water is one of the major challenges on the island.
“The borehole will improve things for the better. Women used to wake up early in the to fetch water for domestic use,” he said.
He further appealed for extra boreholes in surrounding villages to ease pressure on the newly drilled borehole.
One of the women on the island, Fanny Gama, said she was happy with the new borehole saying this was a big relief and recalled that women used to rise early in the morning to fetch water from distant water sources.
“Children used to go to school very late. They had to wait for their mothers to return with water to prepare them for classes,” she said.
