THE CHANCE TO GROW

THE BRITISH RED CROSS HAS A PROUD HISTORY OF HELPING PEOPLE ACROSS THE WORLD TO REBUILD THEIR LIVES – AND YOU CAN HELP TOO

In the past few months, many of us have made a change or two to our lifestyle. Maybe you’ve been shopping more locally and sustainably, or even tried your hand at growing your own fruit and vegetables. Whatever your preference, you’re unlikely to come across anything quite as extraordinary as the bumper cauliflowers grown by Gyan Maharjan in Nepal. At an impressive 3.5kg, her huge cauliflowers are around four times bigger than the average cauliflower from a UK supermarket.

Gyan was one of more than a million people whose homes were destroyed in Nepal’s devastating 2015 earthquake. Like thousands of other small farmers, Gyan lost her livelihood as well, making getting back to normal after the earthquake even harder. After the disaster, the British Red Cross supported more than 8,000 people with cash grants of around £140, which were used to buy seeds, tools and other things they needed to start farming again.

“Before I received the grant, I didn’t have enough food to feed my children,” says

Gyan. “I used the money I was given to buy seeds and fertiliser, which is expensive but important as it helps to protect the vegetables from insects.” The British Red

Cross also trained Gyan and more than

6,000 others in gardening skills to help them grow better crops. “I have grown cauliflower, coriander, garlic and different types of spinach,” says Gyan. “I’m surprised at how big my cauliflowers have become!”