Greetings from Malawi
During our time in Malawi, we had the privilege of speaking with Peter Witman and Lenesi Kaliven, a young married couple from Masula, Malawi. Together, they run a small tea and bread business beside their home. Peter bakes the bread, and Lenesi serves tea, washes cups and plates, draws water, and helps care for their customers — sometimes serving up to 200 people a day.
For their family and business, reliable water is not just important. It is essential.
Before their community received Design Outreach’s blue MaxLife Centralizer, their borehole was breaking down every three months. When the pump stopped working, Peter and Lenesi had to use money from their business to help pay for repairs. At times, they even paid someone 3,000 kwacha per day — about $1.75 USD — to draw water from an unclean source just so their business could continue operating. One breakdown could last up to three months.
Last year, their community spent 137,000 kwacha — about $79 USD — on centralizer spare parts. This year, since the blue MaxLife Centralizer was installed? They have spent nothing so far.
Now, the money they once used for repairs can be used for other needs — including helping schoolchildren with clothes and books.
Peter shared that the blue centralizer is much more durable than the black centralizers they used before. He also told us that the area mechanic not only trained the Water Point Committee on the new centralizer, but also shared the Gospel and encouraged prayer at the pump.
Stories like Peter and Lenesi’s remind us that reliable water changes so much more than a pump. It strengthens families, protects small businesses, supports children, and opens doors for Gospel-centered relationships in the community.
Thank you to everyone supporting Design Outreach and helping make stories like this possible.
