Tullamore schoolgirl ‘happ-pea’ for Malawi farmers

A Tullamore schoolgirl is celebrating the success of farming communities in southern Malawi who have seen their lives transformed since receiving a fairer price for their pigeon pea crop.

To coincide with Christian Aid Week (14-20 May), 12-year-old Isobel Hayes shared a photo with a pea pod in place of her normal smile to demonstrate her happiness for farmers who have received a higher income for their drought-resistant harvest since joining a Christian Aid-supported pigeon pea cooperative.

Isobel’s father, Rev William Hayes of Tullamore Presbyterian Church, supports Christian Aid through his ministry by holding church collections, coffee mornings and other fundraising events.

Pigeon peas thrive in drought-prone southern Malawi. They’re cheap to grow from recycled seed and require only minimal amounts of fertiliser and pesticides, making them an ideal crop to grow in a region where over 60% of families live in poverty.

Esther Saizi, a 54-year-old widowed grandmother, is one of more than 3,300 farmers helped by Christian Aid’s local partner, the Nandolo Farmers’ Association, which runs the pigeon pea cooperative.

With the improved profits from her harvest, Esther began buying goats, which provide milk and meat for her family as well as manure for her crops, saving on expensive fertiliser. Esther even used her income to buy a sewing machine and now she makes clothes for her family.

The extra income also enabled Esther to support her elder daughter’s carpentry business and her younger daughter’s dream of going to college and qualifying as a nurse. She is also paying school fees for her 4-year-old grandson.

Christian Aid Ireland Chief Executive, Rosamond Bennett, praised the impact of the charity’s supporters:

“The transformation in Esther’s fortunes in Malawi is only made possible by our incredible supporters who generously give each Christian Aid Week to fund our work to help tackle the root causes of poverty around the world.”

Christian Aid Week has been running in Ireland since 1957, making it the country’s longest running fundraising campaign. Each year, thousands of people donate to Christian Aid during the week to support people living in some of the poorest countries in the world as well as countries coping with conflict, drought, risk of famine and the impacts of climate change.

By giving this Christian Aid Week, you can help more farmers like Esther secure a fair price for their crops and make their children’s dreams come true. For more information and to donate, please visit caweek.ie/Donate or call 01 496 7040 to make a telephone donation.