Spend Local and Help Self Help Africa Northern Ireland Help Rural Farmers in Africa

Denny Elliott, Head of development charity Self Help Africa Northern Ireland, is urging shoppers to consider others when enjoying spending their Spend Local pre-paid cards.

He says that even a nominal spend of £10.00 in one of the participating Self Help Africa Northern Ireland shops will help rural farmers and female entrepreneurs in Africa.

Denny said: “The worldwide impact of COVID-19 has not bypassed those we support in Africa. The population there is among those that have been hardest hit by the pandemic and, if you imagine, the people of Africa were already finding times tough before the pandemic, due to the hunger season and threat of climate change, so the very real damage the pandemic is doing in Africa will be felt for a very long time.

“That’s why I’m urging shoppers to think about how they spend their pre-paid card and, rather than frittering it away, I’m asking them to stop for a moment and consider how and where they redeem their £100. I believe that the general public in Northern Ireland are very generous in nature anyway, so I’ve every faith that we can count on their selfless support to spending a little or a lot in a mindful way at one of our participating shops and help those we support in communities across Africa.”

To find out more about the High Street Scheme and to apply for a Spend Local pre-paid card visit: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/high-street-scheme-spend-local-pre-paid-card or tel 0800 046 8330.

Self Help Africa Northern Ireland shops participating in the High Street Scheme are located on Andersonstown Road, Botanic Avenue and Cregagh Road in Belfast and on High Street, Holywood.

Self Help Africa Northern Ireland is a leading international development charity with expertise in small-scale farming and growing family-farm businesses. Motivated by injustice, by expertise in small-scale agriculture and family-farm business, Self Help Africa Northern Ireland has the opportunity to help small farmers change the lives of their families. Self Help Africa Northern Ireland is dedicated to ending hunger and poverty in rural Africa.

If you would like to consider volunteering in your local Self Help Africa Northern Ireland shop, please email Gerard Magee at [email protected] and to make a donation, please visit https://selfhelpafrica.org/ie/donate/