IRISH AID

Supporting Self Help Africa to end
hunger and poverty

ZAMBIA

Developing sustainable food systems and sustainable landscapes in drought-affected and food insecure districts. 

MALAWI

SPEAR project promoting Sustainable Production, Economic growth, Accountability and Resilience.

UGANDA

Sustainable food for all, sustainable landscapes and resilient livelihoods.

ETHIOPIA

Building regenerative and inclusive and sustainable food systems, and transforming smallholder dairy producers through promoting a climate-smart dairy value chain.

KENYA

Promoting sustainable food systems through the Cassava Market Access project.

IRISH AID
working together with
Self Help Africa

At Self Help Africa, our vision is for sustainable livelihoods and healthy lives for all in a changing climate.

But we can’t achieve this on our own. Meaningful partnership is central to our approach. The work of Self Help Africa is made possible in large part thanks to backing received from Irish Aid. Together, we are lifting hundreds of thousands of rural poor farming families out of hunger, malnutrition and extreme poverty.

Irish Aid is the Irish Government’s programme for overseas development. The work of Irish Aid is funded by Irish taxpayers through a proportion of Gross National Income (GNI) on Official Development Assistance (ODA).  Irish Aid’s work is guided by policies – including the Africa Strategy to 2025 – which put the fight against global hunger and poverty at the heart of Ireland’s foreign policy.

This global fight is one that Self Help Africa are proud to be part of – reaching the furthest behind first in our work. Thanks to Irish Aid’s support, we are working with hundreds of thousands of small-scale farmers to change the lives of their families.

In 2023, Irish Aid funding is supporting the implementation of ten projects in seven countries – Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda and Zambia.

Irish Aid also enables Self Help Africa to implement a Development Education programme that reaches more than 100 post-primary schools, and is currently supporting teacher training, and introducing Development Education to the community and adult sectors.

EXAMPLES OF self help africa and irish aid WORKING TOGETHER:

Uganda: climate adaptation
through beekeeping

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  • Irish Aid is supporting households in Uganda to utilise beekeeping as a means of boosting food production and incomes.  
    By increasing bee populations, this project is combatting environmental degradation; helping to boost crop productivity; and provide an alternate source of income for local communities.

Malawi: FARM ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT
FOR FOOD AND ECONOMIC SECURITY

  • A shortage of quality seed is a major obstacle to food production for rural poor farmers in Malawi.
    By improving the access that farmers have to quality seed, Irish Aid is enabling Self Help Africa to undertake work at community level to support farmers to have better access to good quality seed.

Zambia: Enhanced Livestock,
Trade & Enterprise

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  • ‘Irish Aid Local Development Project (IALDP)’ aims to eradicate poverty for 80,000 people in Northern Zambia.

    IALDP supports 16,000 households in two districts, providing training and support so that farming families can diversify their production and grow more food. The project also supports enterprise development, livestock breeding and a range of other activities.

ETHIOPIA:
Malt Barley Production

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  • Irish Aid is supporting farmers cooperatives in Ethiopia to produce quality, certified barley seed for distribution and sale.

    Backing provided by the Irish government, this project has enabled Self Help Africa to become a leader in community-based seed production in the country. The project has enhanced the skills, knowledge and organisational capacity of the farmers unions involved in the work.

THE REACH OF IRISH AID

Self Help Africa is currently implementing dozens of development projects across Africa, as well as Brazil and Bangladesh. Irish Aid is providing backing to 10 of these.

Below is a list of the African project countries where we are working in close collaboration with Irish Aid.

Ethiopia: Learn more about our projects here

Uganda: Learn more about our projects here

Kenya: Learn more about our projects here

Zambia: Learn more about our projects here

Malawi: Learn more about our projects here

West Africa: Learn more about our projects here

For a full list of our development projects and a full-breakdown of the activities being supported by Irish Aid, read our most recent annual report.