improved hygiene behaviours within the communities. As one teacher at Chayamba Secondary indicated, girls can now stay in school during their menstrual phase because the latrines are clean and private, in-part attributed to the availability of water from Sonder’ s infrastructure.
4.1.5 Enhanced Economic Situations and Livelihoods
According to participants, the increased availability of water has contributed to the diversification and intensification of livelihoods within the communities. Community-level agricultural assessments, as reported by community members, indicate a potential surge in smallholder farmer activities, particularly the cultivation of vegetables in proximity to water points. Market observations, based on accounts from community members who are traders and customers, reveal the emergence of micro-enterprises such as food stalls that leverage access to clean water to maintain hygiene standards.
4.1.6. Community Governance and Local Ownership
A key distinguishing feature of the WASH Project has been its strong emphasis on community governance structures. It was reported that committees responsible for managing water points were democratically elected by community members and received training in technical maintenance, financial record-keeping, and conflict resolution for each member position. These include chair-persons, secretaries, maintenance and financial record keepers. As encountered during a discussion with water users at Chimphako:
“ We’ ve managed demand by having guidelines in place. The chief, together with the water committee, set rules on how people should use the borehole. For instance, there are restrictions on using the water for brick-making or irrigation in large quantities, especially during dry seasons.”
— Water users, Chimphako
Reviews of governance documents, including monthly reports and minutes from community meetings, demonstrated active engagement and transparent decision-making processes within these committees. Instances of minor equipment malfunctions were reportedly addressed internally, with community members contributing both labor and financial resources to ensure timely repairs. This model of community self-reliance was contrasted by respondents with previous water projects in the region, which were said to foster dependency on external technicians and donor support. According to The Sonder Project Malawi country director and the Kasungu District Water Office, local government and non-governmental bodies were reported to have recognized this approach as a strong model of sustainability.
According to respondents and document reviews, prior water supply projects( both by government and NGO-implemented) frequently failed to deliver lasting change in the communities. It was reported that many of these earlier systems experienced failure within 18 to 24 months, primarily due to insufficient maintenance funding and limited community capacity to manage repairs. In contrast, The Sonder Project’ s sustained performance was attributed to its integrative approach, which combined infrastructure development with governance training, financial planning, and community sensitization efforts. Respondents commonly employed temporal language to describe the transformation brought by the project, often framing their experiences in terms of a clear dichotomy between conditions“ before the pump” and“ after the pump”. This narrative was noted to correspond with quantitative indicators across health, education, and livelihood sectors, all of which demonstrated marked improvements following project implementation. Improved access has reduced the need for both women and men to assist with long-distance fetching, enabling them to pursue other priorities.
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