Three stories that have inspired us

Whilst working with AGREDS in Salima, Malawi, we have met so many people with great stories to share.
Jonny, Ben and Laurie had the privilege of meeting three villagers who have been impacted by the work of AGREDS and were willing to share their stories with them. We were very moved by what they had to say and so we have written up these Transformation Stories so that you can hear them too...

A Safer Way to Cook

Alice and Margret live in a rural village in Malawi called Mlongoti. Alice lives with a family of four and Margret, her mother, lives with a family of eight.

In 2012 the two women both cooked using mafuwas, a traditional cooking method using three bricks to create a stand with firewood underneath. Each morning they would get up at 4am to walk to the nearby hill where they would collect firewood to cook with. At this time in the morning it was still dark and was dangerous for the two women due to robbers and bandits, but they needed firewood to live, so they had no choice.

Once they had collected the firewood they would be able to boil water and cook nsima (traditional Malawian food, which could be described as very thick cornmeal porridge). This process often took very long, due to the inefficiency of the mafuwas. It was also dangerous, to Alice, Margret and the children, due to the open flame and the large amounts of smoke produced. On a recent visit, both women showed us singe marks in their chichendis (a traditional wrap-around skirt) from cooking at weddings and funerals, when they had to cook a lot.

In November 2012 AGREDS (Assemblies of God Relief and Development Services) introduced them to fuel efficient stoves. These stoves use less firewood, produce less smoke, cook faster and are safer than their traditional methods. They were also taught how to make the stoves, from collecting the clay all the way through to firing them, so that they can sell them to other villagers and companies to make some money from it.

Since then, Alice and Margret’s lives have been changed. They no longer have to get up at 4am in the morning to collect firewood, but can take one or two branches from surrounding trees. They no longer have to worry about the risks with children playing around the fire and burning themselves. And they don’t have to spend as much time cooking, which means that they can spend more time working out in their fields. The children are no longer needed to work days in the field and can continue with their education instead.

In the harvest of 2013 (November 2012 – April 2013) some of Alice and Margret’s maize crops were attached by aphids, which meant that they didn’t have enough food for their families for the whole year. However, they were able to sell some of the stoves they had made, to others in their village and to a company called MAEVE (the same company that AGREDS bring in to run the training). With the money raised they were able to purchase more maize, so that they had enough food for the whole year and didn’t go hungry.

In the months of April-May 2014, AGREDS have been running Fuel Efficient Stove training in six rural communities alongside MAEVE. A total of 92 committee members have been trained in the construction of these clay stoves and since the training, the members have been teaching other villagers how to build their own stoves. In one village, Phaka, the hope is that every household will have a fuel efficient stove, and this will help to tackle the climate-change-related problem of flooding that has caused destruction of crops.

Committee members in Phaka village are busy making their Fuel Efficient Stoves 

Thanks to AGREDS, Alice and Margret’s lives are now easier and safer, and they can be more self-sufficient and provide an income for their families. 

Written by Jonathan Pawson

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Learning new techniques increases maize yield

Brave Matikisoni is a husband and father of two from Mphandamkoko. He and his family farm maize to feed themselves, and tobacco to earn some money. In January 2013 he began to run out of maize to feed his family, which meant his family struggled to eat in the months of January-April, before the harvest in early May. However, this year he has been part of a farming club which meets together with AGREDS. 

Traditionally, farmers in Malawi make ridges between the rows of maize, but Brave learned from AGREDS that research has shown this is a waste of energy and time. He also learned that he can increase the amount of maize he produces by placing old maize stalks and dead long grass between the maize plants, which hold the rainwater in the field (instead of it evaporating) and prevent the weeds from seeing sunlight. AGREDS have taught Brave more improved techniques and also given him access to fertilisers and better maize seed.

Brave is also part of a Village Savings and Loans group in his area. VSL groups are typically about 20 people who meet weekly. They can buy 'shares' for a low price, and the money raised can be lent to group members who need capital to fund their enterprises. These loans are then paid back to the group a month later with interest (usually 30-50%). At the end of the year, after lots of buying of shares and loaning, the money is distributed proportionally according to how many shares each person has. For Brave, buying shares throughout the year helped him to save to buy more fertiliser, and taking out loans enabled him to hire labourers to help him harvest his crops.

Brave with him wife and bumper yield

Being part of the farming club and a VSL group helped Brave to have a far better harvest this year. When we met him, he told us that last year he filled one silo whereas this year he had filled that silo and had a lot more leftover. He therefore thinks that he can feed his family for the entire year and have some left over to sell. He's also continued to be a part of the VSL group this year which will help him to buy more fertiliser and maize seed for planting later this year.

  

Written by Ben Hampson

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Are you ever too old to learn new skills?

Fanny Yohane is 60 years old and is from Mlenga village. She was unable to attend school as a child but decided to enrol in one of the three adult literacy schools in her village in October 2013. She was very dedicated to her studies, attending four 2-hour-long lessons per week, and within 3 months was able to read and write. This skill has made her much more independent in her community, and she is able to travel on the bus on her own because she can now read the signs to see where the bus is going.

 

One of the biggest advantages she has found in being literate is being able to read the bible, and she studies the bible every day before bed. She has been able to lead bible studies and devotions within her church and from this has become a girl’s councillor and youth class teacher in her church, and has had the chance to preach to the whole congregation. She was able to take on these activities just 3 months into her 10 month adult literacy course.

This new found confidence she has in reading her bible and in her faith has led to her organising bible studies and worship sessions with her friends outside church. It has also had an impact on her husband. He was initially unhappy about Fanny joining the classes as he couldn’t see the value in it so late in life, but from observing the difference it has made in his wife this attitude has completely changed. He hasn’t been to church for a long time, but has been moved by his wife’s passion for the bible and bible studies she has done with him, and is considering going back to church.

“I cannot believe I have opened up a door for all these new responsibilities. People are now entrusting me with responsibilities, and I am happy with this.”

Written by Laurie Horner