Clonegal teacher sees the life-changing work of Christian Aid in Zimbabwe 

A CLONEGAL school teacher has recently returned from Zimbabwe, where she saw first-hand the difference being made by an aid agency she supports.

Gillian Porter met people struggling with extreme poverty and the impact of living on the frontline of the climate crisis during her ten days in July visiting projects supported by Christian Aid Ireland.

Gillian is married to Ray, who is a farmer, and the couple live near Clonegal while she teaches at St Brigid’s National School in Annacurra, Co Wicklow.

She visited the drought-affected Mwenezi region, where Christian Aid is helping farmers survive by planting sesame. Sesame is naturally drought-tolerant because it puts down a three-metre root, which can reach damp soil below the surface.

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. Vhaina told Gillian: “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. 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 Christian Aid-supported project also includes a processing plant to clean the seed and make more valuable products such as sesame oil to sell, while a co-operative allows growers to reach new markets and fetch a higher price for their harvest.

Across Zimbabwe, it’s estimated that around six-million people are facing food shortages as a result of the El Nino-induced drought affecting much of southern Africa, with poor rainfall leading to crop failure and livestock deaths.

After leaving Mwenezi, Gillian travelled to the Chipinge region in the east of the country to meet a widowed grandmother who received a new house 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.

Loveness told Gillian: “My new home is made from concrete and steel so it’s strong enough to survive any more cyclones. We feel safe now. We are happy here.” Gillian attends St Fiaac’s Church of Ireland in Clonegal and supports Christian Aid Ireland with her donations and by organising an annual sponsored walk, which sets off from St Fiaac’s Church each year to raise funds for the charity’s work.

Gillian and the other supporters who travelled to Zimbabwe covered 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.” To donate to support Christian Aid Ireland’s work, please visit caid.ie/donate.