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See the difference a regular donation can make

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See for yourself: in pictures

Photo 1/10 photo by: David White

Leaving Barnsley: Saying goodbye to Evie, Finley and husband Matt. "I'm just a normal, everyday Mum who donates to Oxfam on a monthly basis."

  • Leaving Barnsley: Saying goodbye to Evie, Finley and husband Matt. "I'm just a normal, everyday Mum who donates to Oxfam on a monthly basis."
  • Meeting families: Jodie with mother Esther Magarinya, who is struggling to feed her twins. "The babies are already eating a flour-and-water mix and they're only a month old. Esther said that when she has less food to eat she can't produce enough milk to feed the two of them."
  • Before: Parched land and failing crops are leaving families without food. "People haven't got anything. They've got no crops – they've all failed because everything is so dry."
  • After: Tall, healthy maize crops growing in the fields, thanks to an Oxfam irrigation project. "Families are channelling water from the dam to feed these crops. It's stunning really. Until I'd seen these fields, I thought the maize I've been seeing in the fields along the roads in Zimbabwe was normal, but it's not, it's dying. The maize on Oxfam plots is HUGE in comparison. Literally double the size!"
  • Clean water: Oxfam has also put in boreholes to give families fresh, clean drinking water. "Children from the local primary school started to fill up their bottles with dirty water from the dam. Peter, one of the team running the project here, explained to them that water they can’t see through contains germs that can make them sick. One little girl had filled her plastic bottle with the clean, clear water from the borehole, so Peter held it up and showed them all the difference in colour."
  • Changing lives: Jodie met Ipaishe Masvingse, one of the first farmers to benefit from the scheme. "She's been farming here for three harvests. She told me her crops are so successful that she’s been able to feed her family, her mum and sisters. She’s also given some maize to her neighbours, and even sold some to build a grain store!"
  • Transforming communities: "I can't tell you how amazing this was to see for myself. This work really is changing people’s lives. I'm determined to remember everything I’ve seen and make changes to my own life when I get back to the UK."

Read Jodie's blog

Seeing Oxfam change people's lives in Zimbabwe

15 February

When we finally arrived today, we met all the local chiefs, which was really interesting. The Oxfam staff showed us how to greet people in the traditional way, clapping people's arrival at the meeting place. It's a courtesy, really - making sure everyone knows what we're doing in the area... More


Zigzagging around Zimbabwe

13 February

We went to meet the Mudzingwa family in a village called Mataruse. The family homestead is not an easy place to find. They live about 3km off-road from the main town, so we left the dirt track roads and went between trees, over rocks and through streams to get there... More 

More about the pipeline project
How Oxfam is transforming people's lives in Gutu.

Watch Jodie’s film: see why regular donations are so vital.

Jodie's video diary: day 1 | day 2 | day 3 | day 4 | day 7 | Meet Jodie

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