IRELAND: Teacher lauds life-changing work of aid agency in drought-affected Zimbabwe

By The Independent

IRELAND: A Wicklow school teacher who recently returned from Zimbabwe has praised the life-changing difference made by Christian Aid in helping drought-affected regions of the southern African nation.

Gillian Porter, who teaches at St Brigid’s National School in Annacurra and lives near Clonegal, visited the drought-affected Mwenezi region where Christian Aid is helping farmers survive by planting sesame, which is naturally drought-tolerant because it puts down a three-metre root that reaches damp soil below the surface.

During her ten days in July visiting projects supported by Christian Aid Ireland, Gillian met people struggling with extreme poverty and the impact of living on the front-line of the climate crisis.

Christian Aid’s local partner Sustainable Agriculture Technology is helping almost 4,000 small-scale farmers in the region to survive drought and other climate shocks. Vhaina Mahweta, aged 51, is one of the farmers who joined the project and received sesame seeds.

“We planted all our seeds as usual, but the rains have been poor and some of the sesame received no rain at all after planting,” Vhaina said.

“All our other crops perished, but the sesame germinated and produced seed for us to sell. The sesame is helping us to survive the drought. I use the income to buy food and pay school fees for my children.”

The project also includes a processing plant to clean the seed and make more products to sell, such as sesame oil, while a cooperative allows growers to reach new markets and fetch a higher price for their harvest.

After leaving Mwenezi, Gillian travelled to the Chipinge region in the east of the country to meet a widowed grandmother who received a new home thanks to funding from Christian Aid after Cyclone Idai destroyed their previous home in 2019.

Loveness Chapano, who has been the sole carer for six of her grandchildren since their mother died, is among more than 150 families whose homes were repaired or rebuilt following Idai, one of the worst tropical cyclones ever to make landfall in the southern hemisphere.

“My new home is made from concrete and steel, so it’s strong enough to survive any more cyclones,” Loveness commented.

“We feel safe now. We are happy here.”

Gillian lives with her husband Ray near Clonegal, County Carlow, and attends St Fiaac’s Church of Ireland in Clonegal.

She supports Christian Aid Ireland with her donations and by organising an annual sponsored walk which sets off from St Fiaac’s Church to raise funds for the charity’s work, with Gillian and the other supporters who travelled to Zimbabwe covering the cost of their trip.

Reflecting on her experience, Gillian said: “It was a privilege to visit the beautiful country of Zimbabwe and to meet people coping with the devastating impact of drought and cyclones.

“I was pleased to see how the donations made to Christian Aid by ordinary people are helping farmers like Vhaina to make a living, growing sesame and how Loveness and her grandchildren are now safe in their new home.”