By Beston Simwaka, Dowa
Freshwater Project International (FPI), in partnership with the Kansas City Current and Heart to Heart International, has officially handed over a newly constructed piped water system to Kabwinja Primary and Secondary Schools and the surrounding community in Dowa District.
The handover ceremony was graced by Malawi women’s football star, Temwa Chawinga, who attended the event as Brand Ambassador for Freshwater Project International.
The project’s Board Chairperson, Zachariah Mangochi, said the initiative will improve hygiene standards, reduce the time learners spend fetching water, and enhance school attendance and learning outcomes, particularly for girls.
Mangochi added that Kabwinja was selected due to the urgent need for a reliable and safe water supply in the area.
Chawinga said her involvement in the initiative is motivated by her personal experiences growing up in Malawi, where inadequate water and sanitation facilities often forced many children, especially girls, to miss school.
Headteacher for Kabwinja Community Day Secondary School (CDSS), Maria Chiotha, commended FPI and its partners for the intervention, noting that the project has resolved long-standing water challenges at the school.
Implemented under the “Temwa X Freshwater: Water, Health and Hygiene” initiative, the water system consists of a mechanised pump, a 10,000-litre elevated storage tank, and 31 water kiosks serving the two schools and the neighbouring village.
The project is expected to benefit over 1,200 students and teachers, while also reducing pressure on existing community water sources.
