A Year Later: Money Wasted Turned to Savings!

Before we protected the spring in Malimali, animals around the spring would contaminate the water, making community members sick.

"Sometimes, [the] water could be dirtified by cows which were tied to graze near the water point," explained 30-year old farmer Snowrin Khavai, who also serves as secretary of the local water user committee. "This is because they could step in water and drink it directly, at time leaving their waste in [the] water, hence becoming agents of contamination."

But since we have protected the spring's water and added a fence around it, the water hasn't made people sick like it did before. This has freed up so much time and energy for other, more productive things.

"Water drawn here is very clean and safe for human consumption," Snowrin said. "You don't even need to add any chemicals for purification. Also, since the spring was fenced, animals like cows have not been accessing it, unlike before the construction. I am no longer a victim of water-related ailments, thus the money I could have spent seeking medical attention is now set aside as savings."