The urgent need
Rural Africa is rich with opportunity, with resourceful people and land which can produce enough food to feed the continent and beyond.
But families face poverty that is extreme, cruel, and worst of all – unnecessary. The knowledge and skills needed for farmers to grow and sell effectively are often lost or haven’t adapted to changed conditions. Climate crisis, conflict and pandemic threaten to push millions back into extreme poverty.
Our practical programmes are targeted where the need is greatest, with the knowledge and benefits shared by everyone.
Why we do this work
- 73% of the population of Burundi live in poverty
- 38% of children in Ethiopia are malnourished
- 77% of women in Kenya had no say in what crops are grown, at the start of our projects
- 69% of Ugandans depend on subsistence farming
- 50% of farmers in Rwanda have less than 0.35ha of land
- 79% of Zambians are below the poverty line
Our 2030 targets
70% of the people we reach will be eating 6 or more food types a day
67% of our project participants will be women
65% will be saving more than US$0.50 a day
The principles behind our work
Our position statements on why we work in the way that we do:
Dramatic changes to weather patterns are affecting vulnerable farmers – the families we work with – first and worst. We understand the need for urgent action.
We don’t just want to generate enhanced harvests quickly, at the expense of soil quality and diversity. Our work needs to be effective long-term.
The right farm animals, well-chosen and well cared-for, can be part of an environmentally sustainable system providing vital nourishment for rural families in Africa.
Our vision, mission and values
Rural Africa is rich with opportunity: with resourceful communities, and land from which food and futures can grow.
But families face poverty that is extreme, cruel, and worst of all unnecessary. Everyone at Ripple Effect is united by the shared belief that we have a moral duty to support one another and fight injustice.
Our vision
A confident, thriving and sustainable rural Africa.
Our mission
To inspire and equip African communities to transform lives and protect the planet.
Our values
Integrity: acting with honesty, fairness and honour in all that we do, treating all people with equal respect.
Compassion: believing that every person deserves a life worth living, we are driven by empathy, humanity, and justice towards people and the planet.
Accountability: valuing the support and resources given to us, acting responsibly to ensure we use these with care and consideration.
Our history
We started with farmers. In 1988, many of Uganda’s farmers were women, widowed by the civil war and struggling to feed their families. A group of farmers in Britain saw the need and Send a Cow was born.
On 31st May 2022 we changed name from Send a Cow to Ripple Effect.
