A couple of days ago, we watched The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, which tells the story of a farming family in Malawi, struggling with flood, drought, crop failure and hunger. Eventually the 14-year-old son saves the day by building a wind generator, using components found in a junkyard and parts of his father’s bicycle.

The film, based on a true story, brings home the challenges facing farmers in one of the world’s poorest countries. More than 50 per cent of Malawians live below the poverty line: 80 per cent depend on farming. Such communities suffer the worst effects of climate change, and are particularly hit by the collapse in overseas aid caused by the pandemic. 

Last year, St Mary’s set up the Faith in Action Committee, to focus the church’s work for social justice, through awareness-raising, advocacy, charitable giving and volunteering. We agreed to support one local project and one overseas project each year. Last year we gave to the Oxford Community Emergency Food Bank and to local projects for the homeless, as well as Christian Aid’s Coronavirus appeal.

We also began the search for a project in the developing world which we could support over a period of time, and finally settled on Christian Aid’s Nandolo Farmers Association Pigeon Pea Programme in southern Malawi.

Although unfamiliar in the UK, pigeon peas are widely eaten in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Malawi is one of the world’s top 10 exporters. But smallholder farmers find it hard to tap into this potential because they cannot get good prices, partly because they are unable to store their produce until prices rise. They also lack access to affordable credit.

Christian Aid’s Nandolo Project aims to help 3,000 farmers (70 per cent of them women) in the Mwanza District to break out of poverty. Through them, some 15,000 family members  will benefit.

The project will help farmers’ cooperatives to access largescale buyers directly and negotiate fairer prices, and will promote organic farming and processes which enable pigeon peas to be stored. It will also set up 150 Village Savings and Loans Associations, each with 20 members, enabling farmers to diversify or to improve their farming methods.

We have pledged to raise at least £5,000 for the Nandolo project this year. If you would like to contribute, please visit our Compaigns page and follow the instructions, which will lead you to the dedicated Faith in Action fund.

Mary Lean, Chair