Donations from Scotland are transforming lives in Africa

Mary Jackson is a small holder farmer in Malawi and was the face of our WEE BOX appeal in 2015. Two years on she tells us how money from Scotland has helped to transform her life.

Mary and her community benefited from solar powered water pumps and a concrete channel irrigation scheme, which enabled 40 farmers to successfully grow food from April to October. This meant that they no longer had to just rely on rain fed farming where the rains would only fall between December and February in normal years or with increasingly erratic weather would not come at all. This seriously hampered families like Mary’s ability to feed themselves all year round. By being able to grow the food they need, Mary has been able to work herself out of poverty and build a brighter and more secure future for herself and her children.

Mary told us:

“The irrigation scheme has changed our situation a lot and the situation of our households. Previously we used rain to farm but we would still be short of food. Now, with the irrigation pumps we can grow food from April to October so we are self-sufficient in food.

“The other area that it has helped us in is education. Most people around here are uneducated. Now, because we have additional produce we can earn money and afford to send our children to school.

“SCIAF and its supporters should not tire as they are helping to improve lives. Please continue to help others.”