Every morning before sunrise, Elida Henderson Thom wakes up and begins a long journey—walking a great distance just to fetch water. She needs it for daily household chores like cooking, cleaning, and bathing her children before they head off to school.
Elida lives in Chaima Village, under Group Village Head Govati, in Phalula, within the Balaka District. The region is dry, and it's difficult for drillers to find clean and safe water. Because of this, the nearest reliable water source is far from her home, forcing Elida to make the long trip on foot every single day.
A mother of five children and a caregiver to her elderly mother, Elida’s responsibilities are overwhelming. The burden of caring for her family, combined with the exhausting task of fetching water, leaves her little time to rest. She used to rely on a 20-litre bucket, making four to five trips each day to collect enough water for her household. The physical strain and time commitment were immense.
Recognizing this challenge, BASEflow, in partnership with WaterStep, stepped in through their market test of the WaterBalls. Elida received one of these WaterBalls—a 60-litre rolling container designed to help people like her transport water more easily.
After just two months of using the WaterBall, Elida shared how it has transformed her daily life:
“Now I only make one or two trips because the WaterBall is bigger and carries more water than the bucket I used to use,” Elida says with relief. “It’s faster, and I’m no longer in pain. I have more time to care for my children and my mother—and I can finally get some rest.”
Before, carrying heavy buckets on her head caused Elida frequent headaches and back pain from the long walks. But things are different now:
“Using buckets on my head used to give me headaches and backaches. But with the WaterBall, I don’t feel any pain anymore. I don’t carry it on my head—I just roll it, and that has made everything easier.”
What was once a backbreaking chore has now become a manageable—and even enjoyable—part of her day.
“For me, using the WaterBall isn’t hard anymore. It’s actually fun and exciting. And I even get some exercise while rolling it.”
Thanks to the WaterBall, Elida can now spend more time focusing on what matters most—her children, her mother, and her own well-being.
This forms part of BASEflow’s ongoing market testing of the Waterball to assess its viability as a sellable product under our diversified resource mobilization strategy. The findings will inform whether the Waterball can be integrated into BASEflow’s suite of services, contributing to long-term financial sustainability while advancing our mission.