Agnes remembered the joy of holding her first baby in her arms. And her fear of losing him. She recalled the terror of going to the river each day to collect filthy water. The panic as the crocodile pulled her in. The certainty that her life would end now, this day.

Agnes lives in the Machinga district of Malawi, in South Eastern Africa.

For as long as she can remember, Agnes, her family and thousands of other people in her area have used the nearby Shire River for all of their cooking, cleaning and bathing and drinking water.

The river is dangerous, dirty and a breeding ground not just for disease…but also crocodiles.

Several years ago, Agnes was pulled into the river by a crocodile as she filled her bucket. She shared with us her fear, her agony, and the relief when her teenage son managed to pull her back to safety. She describes the horrific attack:

"When the crocodile caught me, I started screaming as it was trying to pull me into the water, and then my two sons rushed into the river – they had a spear in their hands and they put this into the crocodile's mouth so it eventually released me.”

After the attack, Agnes and several other women were forced to travel long distances to alternative water sources, or face the dangers of repeat attacks and the contaminated river water. The women would walk up two to three hours before daybreak, in search of drinkable water.

You can hear more about Agnes's incredible story and WaterAid’s work in the area of Machinga by watching this film.