Norah Saini

Norah Saini is a lead farmer on the CCPM, and is desperate for other members of her community in Chikwawa to embrace what it promotes.

“Everyone here knows about climate change,” she explains. “When I tell them why they should copy the things we do on this programme I say the weather is different from the way it used to be so we can’t be farming the way our ancestors did. People listen because they all recognise that problem.”

She explains that as a lead farmer on the CCPM she’s received a range of training including growing a vegetable garden with a variety of nutritious food including sweet potatoes and a fixed stove that uses less firewood.

“This has been very good this year. When the flood came I could have lost everything but because of the vegetable garden I knew we would still have food, and I’m planning to go and do winter cropping now the floods have gone from the fields.

Last year I don’t know how we would have survived but this year we used the seeds which are better adapted to weather conditions, even if there’s drought we should still get something.”

She is proud of her involvement in the CCPM explaining, “When they came here, the first thing the partners did here was sit  with us and ask us about what we need.”

“The best thing about this programme is it does not impose, it didn't come like other projects with ready-made activity, it came here to discuss with them. I’m very happy with this project because it has empowered us. Previously we had no confidence - but now we have confidence.”