Start a ripple of kindness this Christmas

Sandra Rout of Luddenden Dean, has been an ambassador for the charity since 2014, and visited projects in Uganda on a self-funded study tour in 2018.

“Everything that I saw on the projects and all the people that I met illustrated how effective the work that Ripple Effect carries out is”, she said. “Ripple Effect works with the poorest and most marginalised families, enabling them to grow their own food, sell the surplus, send their children to school and break the cycle of poverty. Climate change has made harvests unpredictable and we can help people to maximise their chances of growing crops in the face of changing weather patterns.

“The programmes are inexpensive to run, using local extension workers to provide training, seeds, tools, and perhaps some livestock. Families are mentored for three years – a methodology which brings about permanent change. By the end, many are able to set up small enterprises or sell their produce together in a co-operative. The extension workers then move on to more projects and the farmers who have been trained share their knowledge and train others as peer farmers. The charity estimates that for every family who has been helped, three more go on to benefit.

“Ripple Effect really does create a ripple of change, starting with just a small donation from families in the UK who want to do something meaningful this Christmas”, said Sandra. “We’re asking people to buy a gift – no matter how small – perhaps a cool cockerel for £6 or a £9 chirpy chicken for a child. It’s a way of opening up a discussion about the meaning of Christmas and our responsibility to help each other and spread the gift of kindness”.

If you’d like to make a difference, please visit the Ripple Effect Christmas catalogue on rippleeffect.org/Christmas.