The CCPM welcomes visitors from the Scottish Government

In February, communities involved in the CCPM, Trócaire Malawi, and other partners welcomed representatives from the Scottish Government.

Charlie Goodwin and Tessa Ferry from the Scottish Government’s Climate Justice Fund, which funds the CCPM as part of its mission to help tackle the effects of climate change in the poorest, most vulnerable countries travelled to Malawi in February.

They visited communities in Machinga and Balaka districts to see how the programme was progressing and were impressed by what they saw.
In Machinga they met with local partner Church Action Relief and Development (CARD) and visited district government representatives before travelling to the villages of Lodi and Mkhumbwa.

The needs of people in the villages became apparent quickly as the group had to wade through a river before travelling over a mile to reach Lodi. Here they witnessed how agroecology, a range of sustainable farming techniques which utilise local natural resources, is improving both the diversity and potential yield of crops.

Charlie and Tessa also visited a CCPM solar kiosk, which uses solar panels to provide vital electricity to communities in remote areas – helping them to charge mobile phones and provide lighting for small scale business and study areas for children.

In Balaka, CCPM partner Eagles Relief and Development took their guests to Kachikumi village where they saw more examples of how agroecology is helping farmers to protect their crops and grow more. They also met a local Afforestation Committee, which has planted over 3,680 trees to date through the CCPM.

Before leaving, Tessa and Charlie saw evidence of recent flash flooding which had destroyed many farmers’ crops, bringing home the clear need for, and life-changing impact of, the CCPM.

Many thanks to Trócaire Malawi and all the CCPM partners for everything they did to facilitate this visit.