Where the water actually goes

This page updates itself. The campaign total is pulled automatically from our giving platform; the well counts come from Child Legacy International's repair logs.

2026 campaign, live

All time, since 2011

Repairs are performed by Child Legacy International's Malawian teams, who have restored 5,300+ pumps across the country since 2008 — every repair free to the community. Mike takes no fees and is fully self-funded.

Why repairs beat new wells

Across rural Malawi, roughly 35–40% of installed handpumps are broken at any moment. The wells exist; they just don't work. Repairing one costs a small fraction of drilling one — which is why $1 provides clean water for 1.5 people for up to 5 years.

When a well flows again, waterborne disease drops, and the hours women and girls spent hauling water come back — for school, for income, for their households. When a repair team finishes, the village's women often sing and dance at the well.

Read the full story of a repair →  ·  See the map of repaired wells (map moving on-site soon)