Esther Sekani

Esther Sekani is 57 and lives in Chikwawa district. Her husband died nine years ago. 

“Life is very difficult. Food is the biggest challenge but water is also very difficult.”

“We can see the climate change here. This year the harvest is bad. We don’t know if there will be enough food. When I was young there were lots of trees, more food. It seems there is less now.”

A widow, Esther depends on the generosity of her local community – but fending for herself is hard.

“I rise every morning to go for water. If it has been very dry it can be many miles journey to the nearest river. I carry a 20 litre bucket with me. Carrying it back is hard, I stop often, I am not young.”

For women like Esther there is no safety net, and any small misfortune can spell disaster.

“I don’t know what the future will bring, but it is hard to be optimistic. If we knew we had food, life would be better.”