Meet Theresa Tomas
A single mother and farmer, Theresa Tomas is no stranger to hardship. Her husband left for work north of their home in Chilowa, Malawi, and Theresa says she doesn’t think he will ever return. Left to care for her children on her own, Theresa works hard to sell her own maize (corn) and peas and supplements her income by working on other people’s farms as she is able.
Before LifePump, lack of access to safe water made her circumstances even more challenging.
“Life was difficult before LifePump,” she says. “I walked two kilometers just to find a source of water which is a nearby river. This affected my productivity as I spent much of my time going to the river instead of the farm or getting some work that could earn money to feed my family. I often went to bed hungry because of the amount of time I spent getting water.”
Despite the hardships she has faced, her joy is contagious. And having LifePump in her community has given her hope for a brighter future for her and her children.
“I know that when I come back at night from the work that I do, I know that I can easily access clean water and even bathe myself so that I am clean when I go to bed, and it enables me to live a healthy life,” she says. “I am thankful because there has been a lot of great impact because of what Design Outreach has done.”
