Join the Big Pea Challenge for Christian Aid Week

Christian Aid Week this May is focused on helping farmers in Malawi secure a fairer price for their crops and build happier futures for their children.

Families in Malawi are paying the price of the global crisis. Food, fuel, fertiliser and school fees have doubled in price in the last 12 months. And hard-working famers are seeing their harvests fail as the climate crisis brings increasingly erratic weather.

These problems don’t only affect crops. They force dramatic cost-cutting and mean that Jen Bishop has been forced to choose which one of her sons can take up his college place, and which one is left behind. The boys have worked hard to transform their lives, but they’re still being held back from their dreams.

Christian Aid is committed to giving everyone the chance to live a full life, free from poverty. We are united in hope that, with your help, more young people will be able to transform their lives.

This Christian Aid Week, we’re celebrating how our partners in Malawi are helping farmers transform their livelihoods with pigeon peas – a drought-resistant, soil-revitalising, high-protein, low-cost, delicious crop.

Join The Big Pea Challenge

Inspired by the transformational pigeon pea, we’ve created The Big Pea Challenge to have some pea-themed fundraising fun.

Whether you’re a gardener, a cook, or just up for a bit of fun, our website resources will help you get out into your community and bring other good-hearted people into the Christian Aid movement.

We’ve got everything you need for The Big Pea Challenge, plus films, worship material and so much more. You might even say that our resources are pea-fect for bringing pea-ple of all ages together!

This May, why not hold your own pea-themed fundraiser to help bring real change to people like Jen and her family?

Our work has already changed Esther’s life, With her pigeon peas, Esther bakes delicious bread to sell, supports her daughter’s dreams, and gives her grandsons a happy future, full of love and laughter. But she wasn’t always able to support her family so easily.

For 10 years, Esther could never secure a fair price for her pigeon peas. But when Esther joined a programme run by our local partner and started selling as part of a cooperative, she was able to earn much more. With the money Esther has made, she has supported her daughter’s dreams of becoming a carpenter and can send her grandsons to nursery. Their lives have been transformed. 

With your help, more women will be able to transform their livelihoods using the humble, but mighty, pigeon pea. Your involvement this Christian Aid Week will help make more dreams come true.