Nellie is 61 years old and lives in Karonga district. She is single and physically challenged and lives with her two grandsons. Nellie has never owned livestock and lacked knowledge on climate resilience as her education levels are those of a primary school leaver. This made her extremely vulnerable to long periods of hunger, particularly in times of drought. Under DISCOVER Project, Nellie received two pigs which are acting as a source of manure, and source of protein. This conserves moisture needed for proper crop growth in case the area is hit by erratic rains. She also benefited 1000 tubes of Faiderbhia albida (Nsangu), Acacia lebbeck (Mtangatanga) for her tree nursery which will act as a shield in times of strong winds. She owns a solar gadget, Chitetezo Stove, which uses less amount of firewood as compared to the conventional three stone fire.

Nellie was quoted saying ‘pakhomo pano ndi pamwana alirenji, zakudya ndi zosasowa’ zikomo DISCOVER Project’. Meaning “this home never lacks anything, food is available at all times”. And continued saying, ‘Nzeru ndi mphamvu’ ndiyesetsa kuti anthu ambiri adziwe za kusintha kwa nyengo ndi kuphelera kwacha’. Meaning “knowledge is power, will ensure more people learn on climate change and mitigating the impact. Thanks to the DISCOVER Project.”

•  This case study was prepared as part of the Gallery Exhibition to commemorate the visit of the President of the Republic of Ireland, His Excellency Michael D Higgins to Malawi in November 2014, and later to coincide with the launch of the 16 Days of Activism against GBV on November the 25th, 2014.
• Pictures taken by: Chipiliro Khonje.