Green-fingered Garvagh woman raises awareness of poverty and hunger in Nairobi
A green-fingered Garvagh woman has been growing vegetables in repurposed containers to raise awareness of a Christian Aid funded project that’s helping to reduce poverty and malnutrition in Kenya.
Moira Irwin, who volunteers at The Changing Room, Christian Aid’s charity shop in Garvagh, was pictured showing off the lettuce plants she’s been growing in empty milk containers and tin cans.
Moira’s gesture is inspired by an urban farming project in Nairobi that’s helping people to grow vegetables in cramped city spaces, so that they can produce enough food to feed their families and surplus to sell for an income.
With space in short supply, the vegetables are grown on rooftops, vertically on walls and on any available scrap of land, using containers such as plastic yogurt pots and discarded food cans.
Moira’s act of solidarity comes ahead of Christian Aid Week (10-16 May) which this year focuses on the charity’s work to help people living in poverty in Dagoretti, a low-income neighbourhood in the Kenyan capital.
In the densely packed streets and alleyways of Dagoretti, almost 300,000 people live in rented one-room homes built from corrugated metal sheets, without basic services such as toilets and running water.
Among them is Fridah Moraa, a mother-of-three who became the sole breadwinner for her family following the death of her husband.
Since joining a Christian Aid funded project, Fridah has been making the most of a small space near her home to grow a steady supply of fresh vegetables that she can cook for her family or sell on her market stall. Now Fridah is able to feed her children nutritious meals, as well as pay school fees and medical bills.
Christian Aid Ireland Chief Executive Rosamond Bennett thanked Moira for highlighting the charity’s work and supporting the Christian Aid Week appeal.
She said: “Without the support of people like Moira and the other wonderful volunteers who give their time freely to run our charity shop in Garvagh, we would not be able to help mothers like Fridah to grow food.
"It’s thanks to their fundraising that Fridah is growing her way out of malnutrition and poverty, creating a more hopeful and prosperous future for her children.”