Al-Qalam 
By Omar Hamesh
They call Malawi the “warm heart of Africa” – a country of welcoming, kind people who embrace you in their warmth.
But the first time I set foot in Malawi, I was overwhelmed by a strange weight that sank deep into my chest. I was there as a videographer, tasked with capturing the need for water.
In remote areas, I watched children coated in dust chasing goats through endless fields. I saw a mother crouched beside a barely-there puddle, straining muddy water through a cloth she had removed from her shoulders, because it was all she had.
At that moment, I felt something stir in me. Not sadness or guilt, but an awakening.
In Afghanistan, I saw the same story play out – in different languages, different colours, but under the same sun; villages holding onto life in harsh terrain. Women crouched beside sewage, straining contaminated water. A different cloth, the same pain. People weren’t just thirsty, they were waiting desperately for some kind of change. Without water, dignity dries up and dreams evaporate.
I have been filming and documenting for years in different parts of the world, witnessing conflict and celebration, joy and grief.
But there is nothing quite like what happens when clean, cold, pure water flows for the first time in a village that never had it. The ground opens up, and a pump creates a splash. Another splash. Hands shoot into the air, children scream, women sob, and men raise their voices with prayer. Water glints in the sun, reflecting the thousands of dreams that are now real possibilities.
An elder shook my hand and said, “we are human again”. That shook everything inside me.
These are moments that I am blessed to witness, where people chant and sing not because someone handed them a gift, but because they feel seen and heard and valued.
With water, everything changes. Children can attend school, and families can grow food.
As someone behind the camera, I often feel like an observer. But in these moments, I’m not just filming, I’m feeling. I’m feeling the weight of injustice, feeling the sacredness of something as simple as water. It changes you.
It’s easy to forget that water is still a dream for so many. But I’ve seen the faces of those who lived their life without it and the transformation when they do have it.
I carry these faces, these voices with me, hoping that I can rewrite their stories with you.
*Omar Hamesh is a Senior Media Specialist at Africa Muslims Agency. His work documents the challenging living conditions of refugees and impoverished communities across the world Africa Muslims Agency prioritises the delivery of clean water to communities in Africa and Afghanistan through wells and boreholes, recognising that all empowerment and upliftment begins with access to this most fundamental resource. This Muharram, give the gift of water and help us to rewrite these stories of pain into stories of human hope.
