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A much-needed water well has been built in an African town thanks to a £6,500 donation from Pontllanfraith Rotary Club.

Forty years ago, rotary club member Jon Rowlands met Ngwile Mwenifumbo, who came from Malawi to study electrical engineering at South Wales Switchgear in Pontllanfraith.

The pair became close friends, with Ngwile spending the last two years of his studies living in Jon’s home.

He later returned to Malawi, but has made several visits to Wales since, meeting with Pontllanfraith Rotary on numerous occasions.

Meanwhile, Jon has spent time in Malawi over the last 20 or so years doing missionary work, and the church he is a member of has financed a number of projects, supervised by Ngwile – exceeding costs of more than £30,000.

In March this year, a bore hole was drilled and a water well installed in the town of Karonga, following the donation from Pontllanfraith Rotary.

Soon after, Jon received a video from the joyous residents celebrating their new access to clean water. Prior to the installation, the only water supply was from a river more than half a mile away.

The project was even mentioned in Malawi’s parliament by the Karonga MP Frank Mwenifumbo, who thanked Pontllanfraith Rotary on behalf of his constituents.

The rotary club said: “We are mindful that we have been able to make a huge difference to so many lives through this project.

“Villagers no longer must go to the river for water, an arduous daily task that involved many hours of collecting water for daily use, including unclean drinking water.

“The supply of safe clean fresh water from the well will improve the health of every person and because there is an abundant supply from the well, the villagers will be able to create an irrigation system for water to nourish their crops.”