Edith usually grows maize and sweet potatoes in this field but in 2002 she did not manage to harvest anything.

Terrible drought
There was terrible drought in Zambia and six other African countries. In many areas the second rainfalls did not come and the crops did not grow.

Many farmers sold all their cattle to earn enough money to survive. The price of food soared so high that Edith could not afford enough food for her family.

What does CAFOD do?
In emergencies, like famine due to crop failure, CAFOD first helps by handing out food. This means that people can survive until they are able to rebuild their lives.

Then CAFOD helps the people to help themselves. When the people are growing food to feed themselves they are helping to achieve Millennium Development Goal 1.

CAFOD's partners
Through its partners, CAFOD is supporting a programme to help farmers in Edith’s area to provide for themselves again after the time of drought. The harvests in 2003 were much better than the year before, but the farmers still need help.

The programme will help in a number of ways, including supplying water to be channelled to the fields, providing seeds, and providing cattle for a “pass-on scheme”.

This means that the farmer is given a cow to look after, and when the cow has calves one of the calves is passed on to another farmer.

FACT: More than a billion people live on less than a dollar a day.

Photo: Annie Bungeroth