Cooking for someone is a fantastic way of showing practical love and support. Empowered by the bread oven that Christian Aid installed for her farmers’ cooperative, Esther is able to make and sell delicious rolls. She loves baking bread and making other pigeon pea snacks and meals, which she shares with her family and community.  

‘I invite my children. I share the food with everyone,’ she says. ‘It is food that makes a meal for the whole day.’ The pigeon pea is so versatile that the pigeon pea farmers’ association has been able to publish a recipe book, reminding Malawians that they have a locally grown, drought-hardy and nutritious legume right under their noses.

Are you inspired to try this brilliant crop for yourself? 

Pigeon peas are also known as yellow split peas, which are a staple of many soups. Pease pudding, pea and ham hock, green pea and lemon – there are recipes from around the world with this versatile ingredient. Set up a simple community lunch, and charge for entry. It’s a warm and welcoming way to build community and raise funds without breaking the bank.

Does your group of friends have an appetite for more than just lunch? Why not entertain them with a pea-themed dinner party! A garden pea salad to start, pie and mushy peas for main, and pea-haps even a sweet pea and vanilla cake, pea ice-cream or a pea mousse for dessert? You can ask for donations for dinner, and while everyone is gathered, you can plan your next group fundraiser together. 

Inspired by the versatility of this staple crop, and by the stories of people who live on diets with little variety, this sponsored challenge is for those ready to take on a week where every meal contains delicious, low-cost peas (prepared any way you like). You can download sponsorship forms from our website, take inspiration from recipes from around the world, donate some of the money you save from your weekly shop, and, at the end, share the recipes that have been the biggest success in your household.

Inspired by Esther’s one-pot pea stew called nansakanya. We all know someone who likes to experiment in the kitchen. Why not set up a cooking demonstration featuring a local restaurateur or other personality?Perhaps you could even persuade your minister. Charge people for entry and then share the food together – depending on the results!

Your personal gardening skills might not be as fruitful as Esther’s, but we’re sure you know someone who can turn even the most lifeless plant into a celebration of God’s creativity in creation.  

While our families’ livelihood and survival might not depend on our plant-growing skills, we can still enjoy the feeling of deep satisfaction achieved through growing beautiful plants or nourishing vegetables. Using the abundant supply of UK rain and sunshine, turn your hard work into funds that will help farmers to thrive. 
Our partners are helping families grow crops with amazing potential. Your creativity in the garden, windowsill or allotment can help grow a bumper crop of potential enabling children’s dreams to come true. 

With some of these ideas, you’ll need to start soon to ensure your produce is ready for Christian Aid Week. Your growth plan starts here: 

Succulents are popular and fashionable, propagate quickly, and, like the pigeon pea, don’t need too much water to survive. Planted in small, quirky pots, succulents and cacti are easy to care for, especially for people living in smaller spaces or houseshares. Could you set up a successful succulent sale?

Our gardens have taken a hit following the summer heatwave and winter freeze. Let’s help our communities make their spaces green and beautiful again by selling seedlings. Like Esther, pick the plant most likely to flourish in your neighbourhood. Grow plants to sell at your church or farmer’s market. With a small group of willing gardeners, you could produce a bountiful supply of plants to sell at a community event or market on a tabletop plant stall.

Organise a plant growing competition.  Planted out in April in a sunny spot, sweet peas make a beautiful climbing addition to a garden, or you could go broader, from shrubs to vegetables! You can judge the winners in whatever category you choose – height, beauty or shape. Ask people to bring their plants to share a celebration of growth and fruitfulness in a church service and encourage them to make a financial contribution as a sign of gratitude.

Churches are known for their beautiful flower arrangements. Make the most of your artistic congregation and hold a flower arranging competition. You could have categories such as basket, bud, children and beginner. Charge an entrance fee and then auction off the displays. The flower arrangements would make a beautiful backdrop to an event where people are reminded of the beauty of God’s creation and provision, and our responsibility to care for the fragile environment.

Esther and her family have risen to the challenge of a changing environment with humour, hard work and love. Esther recognised her daughter, Ziwone, had the talent and drive to be a carpenter, and used some of her pigeon pea earnings to buy her the tools to start a business. What skills and talents do you, your children, and your grandchildren, have that you could use this Christian Aid Week?

You’ll need a pen, paper and a die. Each member of your team takes turns to roll the die. Draw a part of a pea plant based on the number rolled. You must roll a 6 to start. The first team to draw the entire plant wins.

• 6 = pot – you must draw this before any other part of the plant 
• 5 = leaves – you must draw three 
• 4 = flower – draw two 
• 3 = stalk – draw one 
• 2 = pea pod – draw one 
• 1 = peas (in the pod) – draw five.

Hide the letters for the words ‘pigeon pea’ around your home, church or town.Shop keepers will often put them in their windows if you ask. Then provide a list of clues to their location for people/teams to find. First to find all the letters wins!

You’ll need an empty tube or box (eg, crisp tube, tissue box, plastic milk bottle), sticky tape/glue, paper and pens. Fill the tube with a handful of dried peas. Stick on the lid or cover with card. Wrap with paper, decorate… and MAKE SOME NOISE!

Why not trying writing some Christian Aid Week themed micro-poems like a ‘pigeon pea’ acrostic or haiku. For an extra challenge, try to use as few syllables in your poems as possible.Why not decorate them and share them with friends and family?

Pour frozen or dried peas onto plates or trays. Players must carry their peas from one side of the room or garden and pass them to their team mate on the other side, navigating various obstacles or challenges. Each time they complete a challenge, add another or make it harder. For example, crawl under a table, hop on one leg, hula hoop, put on some wellies, balance plate on head, etc. After 4–6 turns, the team with the most peas left on their plate wins.

Like a good quiz? Organise a quiz night or sell quiz papers. You can even arrange your own prize! With new questions for 2023 and a special pea-themed round, our quiz is sure to keep you entertained.

• Download the quiz questions here
• Download the quiz questions & answers here