A SISTERHOOD FOR SURVIVAL

Church_news Notices

Janet Ben (31) lives in Ngabu, Chikwawa District, southern Malawi. She and her husband have three children.

Janet gestures at a pile of muddy bricks, all that’s left of her old house after Cyclone Idai swept through Malawi in March 2019. Homeless and only able to eat once a day, she was in a desperate fight for survival.

Janet knew that other women in her community had teamed up to improve their finances. ‘I used to admire women who were already members of this group,’ she says. ‘They were able to support their families.’

Joining the Makande Women’s group has changed everything for Janet and her family.

Christian Aid works with communities to promote new technologies, tools, and training to equip them to adapt to the extreme weather conditions that threaten their lives.

Pointing to the fruit in the massive baobab trees near her home, Janet tells me how the women make juice from the baobab fruit, working in shifts.

‘Once we’ve made the juice, we take it to the market to sell. After selling we bring the money together,’ explains Janet.

She has opened her own stall at the local market. ‘My business is doing well, and I have managed to save with the village bank. My two elder kids can now go to school on a full stomach.’

This Harvest, will you donate what you can to help more people like Janet find a way out of poverty and become more resilient to the climate crisis?

Please click on the link above to support the work of Christian Aid.