Now I've been here about a month. I have learned an incredible amount about water and sanitation projects. I have been to the field and visited rural areas all over Malawi. I have been to project planning meetings, geophysical water survey trips, drilling and construction sites, community-based management trainings, monitoring finished projects, and I've also seen the joy of the Malawian people as they get their first taste of safe drinking water in their villages (as the video I shot shows). While water is something we take for granted, the majority of rural Malawians do not have clean water and instead must collect water from streams or shallow wells that are contaminated by bacteria and chemicals. Freshwater Malawi drills boreholes to access groundwater aquifers, builds latrines at schools, teaches communities about hygiene, sanitation, and local water governance. Freshwater staff and I believe that access to clean water is a prerequisite for development. Water affects health, agriculture, gender relations, economic development, and overall quality of life. By helping people access sustainable supplies of clean water, Freshwater Malawi is laying the foundation for a better future for rural Malawians.

I am working with Freshwater on internal capacity building and grant-writing. I am assisting staff to generate annual reports that detail the incoming funds, projects completed, people served, costs incurred, etc. I am also working on identifying international donors for equipment assistance and future projects. I will do my Master's capstone project, a project grant proposal, with this organization to promote water and sanitation for rural Malawians.