Lightning coruscates across the pitch-black sky; thunder roars and shakes the buildings; torrents of rain pour incessantly through the darkness. When it rains in Malawi, there is no holding back Nature’s fury.

Remarkably, this hasn’t precipitated a power-cut (a regular occurrence here), so I can happily write this blog. Water there may be a plenty in Malawi (as the drumming rains currently testify), but it is rarely harnessed effectively by rural communities.

This inability to access and/or manage water properly can be seen in several areas. The most obvious is where villages lack even a basic source of clean drinking water. Many villages have some sort of handpump, but it is estimated by UNICEF that, at any time, around a third are out of order. In areas prone to drought, such as Salima where some of us are working, this can be particularly devastating. Sanitation also poses problems, both in terms of toilet facilities and hygiene practice. Much of our work in these villages will be in the form of education, rather than just construction. Then there is the issue of using water effectively in agriculture, in order to boost maize yields. Yields can be at least tripled through introducing simple techniques, designed to retain moisture in the soil.

Water is just one of the projects we’ll be tackling in the next few months. I’ll elaborate on the other projects more at a later date. Right, we’re climbing a mountain tomorrow, so must get some sleep!