Economic Empowerment
Children are often the first to feel the effects of poverty, being forced to go hungry or leave school to earn an income for the family. We work with children and families in extreme poverty to build up the skills they need to increase their income and assets.
We also set up savings and loan schemes so families can plan and provide for their children’s future. This approach helps families to become more resilient and better placed to cope with changing circumstances.
We’re also training women and young people so they can secure a decent livelihood and close the gender gap in the workplace.
Helping young farmers thrive in Malawi
Malawi’s farmers battle floods, droughts and pests to make a living. Adverse conditions caused by climate change can wipe out entire harvests – and the impact on children can be catastrophic. 37% of Malawian children are chronically malnourished.
Our five-year project, Helping Young Farmers Thrive in Malawi, is aiming to help over 145,000 farmers to diversify, strengthen and green their businesses. Climate-safe agriculture learned through our Farmer Field Schools is making sure farmers can grow enough food year-round, while savings and loans groups are increasing financial stability, helping Malawi’s farmers build greener and more resilient livelihoods.
Turning Girls into Teachers in Sierra Leone
In Sierra Leone, just 20% of girls graduate from high school. A powerful reason for this is the lack of female teachers in schools. Rural schools have very low numbers of female teachers, leaving girls without role models or safe authority figures. This year, we’re carrying out a special project to help trainee teachers in Sierra Leone secure their qualification. We have helped 238 young women complete distance-education teacher training. But we know from previous work that sitting the exams and receiving their diplomas can take as long as ten months. We are supporting our 238 trainees while they take this last, vital step to securing a brighter future.
From Exploitation to Electrician
In a night, I had to sleep with four or five men to make about 3,000 to 4,000 Uganda shillings [83p]. I kept crying day and night.
Now Grace enjoys being the only girl who’s an electrician in her community. She aspires to become a role model for other girls like herself. Find out how we helped Grace move from exploitation.