Keryn Banks has been in Malawi talking to families living through a devastating drought that has left a third of the population without enough food

In April, I visited Christian Aid-supported projects in Nsanje, Malawi. I saw the crippling effects of climate change on the local community. The combination of floods in Jan 2015 and then a severe El Niño weather system at the start of this year resulted in the worst drought in a decade, leaving families struggling to find enough food to eat.

I also saw how Christian Aid, alongside the Scottish Government Climate Justice Fund, has been making a tangible, long-lasting difference. Together we have provided two solar irrigations for the community at Nsanje. It was so exciting to see these irrigation systems in action. They mean that 140 families can farm all year round and can harvest food despite unpredictable seasonal rains. The farmers – who are almost all female – no longer have to farm down near the river where their crops had previously been washed away. This new technology also provides drinkable water for an additional 5,000 people.

The current drought is affecting the daily lives and hopes of people as they wait for their harvest to be ready

Keryn Banks

I spoke with Gladys Wonderford, who has three married children and three school-age children. Back in April, she told me how she was hoping to sell additional vegetables from her plot to pay school fees for one of sons who has been selected by the government to attend a special school for gifted students.

However, the current drought is affecting the daily lives and hopes of people like Gladys as they wait for their harvest to be ready.

Enifa July, aged 45, is a married farmer and mother with six children in Nsanje. Her story of hope has turned to one of desperation. “The drought this year has been so much worse. We don’t even have the energy to tend to our crops. We eat once a day. Sometimes we even go to bed on empty stomachs which makes me feel bad. I feel sorry for my children when I see them crying all day and not going to school, they act like we have forsaken them because of hunger.”

Reflecting the scale of the crisis and the depth of support in Scotland for Malawi, Christian Aid has made the unprecedented move of launching a direct appeal to its supporters in Scotland. At least the first £70,000 donated will be matched pound for pound by the Scottish Government’s International Development Fund.

We are putting in place a cash transfer programme as part of the official government of Malawi response, providing cash or food vouchers to enable people to purchase the food that they would normally have grown. This will help people like Gladys and Enifa avoid negative coping mechanisms such as selling their agricultural tools, moving away or in some cases marrying off their daughters early to lessen the strain on the family’s food budget.

Being able to support them over the next three months will ensure that they will be sustainable once their crops are harvested. Please help us to protect their today, so that they can protect their future.

Keryn Banks is Scottish projects manager for Christian Aid Scotland. Support Christian Aid Scotland's Malawi Appeal now.