To support a broader goal of strengthening local governance, the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and UNDP worked with the Government of Malawi to develop pilot projects for participatory planning and financing of district-level capital investment. The development committee of Malizani village, a community in the western district of Mchinji, decided to spend a portion of their resources from the District Development Fund on a new freshwater system. In addition to having access to clean water, life has improved in many ways for the Malizani villagers. "We have fewer diseases, cleaner clothes and happier faces," said Ellen Sanga, the chairperson of the village's development committee.