Ballydehob’s Margaret ‘hap-pea’ with progress for Malawi farmers

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

To coincide with Christian Aid Week in May, Margaret Skuce 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 after joining a Christian Aid-supported pigeon pea cooperative.

Margaret is a volunteer fundraiser for Christian Aid Ireland and helps to organise the charity’s annual Sheep’s Head Hike which has brought in around €90,000 since it began in 2009.

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, which saves 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 supported Esther’s 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 four-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 because of 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,’ said Rosamond.

Christian Aid Week has been running in Ireland since 1957, making it the country’s longest-running fundraising campaign.