| Hisham Fayed worked as a water and sanitation engineer in Malawi. He oversaw Islamic Relief’s field activities and ensured that projects run smoothly. In this interview he describes how Islamic Relief’s water projects in Malawi have made a difference to people’s lives.
What were your first impressions of Malawi?
I wondered how such a beautifully green country could have any food shortages. Then the dry season came, then the rainy season and the droughts and then the floods, and everything became clear.
What are the greatest needs in the country?
It depends on who you ask. I’d say safe drinking water and proper sanitation facilities, but an agricultural expert would probably say food security and a doctor would say tackling HIV/AIDS. I also believe that access to education is a real problem.
Having said that, we always involve the community and ask them what their needs are, and most of the time they say that they desperately need access to water.
How does the lack of water affect people’s daily lives?
Women and girls are forced to walk several kilometres to reach the closest water source, which in the dry season is just a shallow well dug into a riverbed. These wells are unprotected and easily contaminated - people and animals drink from the same place.
Very few people in rural areas boil water before drinking and they frequently fall ill. In the rainy season people take their water directly from the river but this brings with it the serious risk of cholera.
What does Islamic Relief do in Malawi?
We began working in Malawi in response to the food crisis in February 2006 and provided 30,000 people with food. A month later the rains came but they were heavier than expected and caused flooding, washing away any crops that had survived the drought.
After that we set up Village Development Committees in the southern districts of Chikwawa and Nsanje, two of the most impoverished parts of the country.
These committees give people the opportunity to come together, discuss their needs and find ways of solving their problems. Islamic Relief then helps to facilitate the changes and developments within the community.
How is the water problem being tackled?
Most of the village committees have identified the need for access to clean water as their top priority. In response, we have drilled ten boreholes and installed hand pumps. We have also established Water-point Committees who take charge of the maintenance of the water source.
Each committee selects two or three people who we train to be hand pump mechanics. If there is a problem in the future the village can resolve it themselves. This ensures that our work is sustainable in the long-term.
How does that big white drilling machine work?
It depends on the type of ground we’re drilling into. If it is hard we use a sort of hammer to break the rock, but if it is soft we use a blade to dig down.
The machine also removes all the loose rock, mud and debris and brings it to the surface so there is a nice hole down to the water.
What problems have you faced?
I get stung by scorpions! Actually that was my fault - I should never have probed beneath that rock! At least now I know that scorpions are nocturnal and will take my travel health book much more seriously.
What is the best part of your job?
Operating the drilling rig and knowing that with every inch we cut into the ground we’re that little bit closer to bringing much needed relief to the people around us.
Find out more about Islamic Relief's Water and Sanitation projects
Find out more about Islamic Relief in Malawi
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