Clean Water and Bright Futures: Celebrating Our Partnership with SPRODETA in Malawi

This week, we’re thrilled to share an incredible milestone in our partnership with SPRODETA—an organization dedicated to improving health, education, and access to clean water in Malawi. Communities in Kasisi and Chitipa are celebrating as they gain access to clean water for the first time! With the final touches completed on the new borehole and pump, students at Kalira, Upighu, and Chizimu Primary Schools can now enjoy safe drinking water right on their school grounds. 

This partnership with SPRODETA is a powerful example of the transformative change that local leadership and sustainable solutions can bring to underserved areas. By addressing multiple needs—clean water, sanitation, hygiene education, and gender-specific facilities—we’re supporting healthier environments for learning, growth, and community well-being. Here’s a look at the project’s key objectives and how each contributes to the improved health and learning outcomes of these communities:

Improving Health: SPRODETA is training students, teachers, and staff in personal hygiene practices that prevent illness. Equipped with new knowledge, students will share these habits at home, promoting health across the community. Additionally, the three newly drilled boreholes provide a reliable, safe water source, reducing waterborne diseases.

Reducing Barriers for Girls: By constructing separate latrines and menstrual rooms, this project helps remove the obstacles girls often face in accessing clean water and sanitation. Having private facilities on school grounds allows girls to focus on their studies without interruptions, creating an inclusive, supportive environment.

Promoting Good Hygiene Practices: To make hygiene part of daily life, the project is installing 30 handwashing stations (known as “tippy taps”) and teaching students to maintain them. Hygiene training will also be offered to “Mothers’ Groups,” community mentors who will advise young girls on menstrual health, ensuring that good hygiene habits spread beyond the schools to families and the larger community.

Ensuring Long-Term Sustainability: Each school will have a Water & Sanitation Committee, comprised of staff and community members, who will oversee the operation and maintenance of the new water and sanitation facilities. With this ongoing support, these resources are designed to serve the schools and communities for years to come.

SPRODETA’s work aligns beautifully with One Day’s Wages’ mission to invest in locally-led solutions that empower communities. As a grassroots organization, SPRODETA’s approach addresses the interconnected challenges of education, health, and clean water access, making this partnership one we’re truly proud of.

Today, thanks to your support, thousands of students and families are experiencing firsthand what clean water and safe, accessible facilities can do to transform a community. We’re excited to watch as these improvements continue to uplift and empower everyone they touch, creating brighter futures for generations to come.