A midlands mart will become the beating heart of an act of compassion and solidarity on September 28, as farmers from the midlands get together in support of vulnerable farming families across Africa. 

'A midlands fundraiser for Self Help Africa' is a farmer-to-farmer charity appeal aiming to raise tens of thousands of euro for livestock and rural development programmes supporting struggling communities throughout Africa.

At the centre of the initiative is a simple but powerful request: "Will you sell ONE animal so another family can survive?"

Across the midlands and in rural Ireland, farmers understand hardship in a way few others can, the organisers said.

"They understand the heartbreak of failed crops; relentless rain; drought, rising costs, uncertainty and sleepless nights wondering how another season will be survived.

"That understanding of struggle and resilience is now inspiring local farmers to stand in solidarity with small-scale farming families in Africa who are facing unimaginable hardship caused by hunger; drought; floods; conflict; displacement and growing food insecurity," the organisers said.

Offaly livestock farmer Pat Mahon from Blueball near Tullamore, is the founder and driving force behind the campaign.

He is appealing to farmers across the midlands and beyond to donate a male or female calf or any suitable young animal over three months-of-age for the auction at Tullamore Mart.

The organisers say the support already shown by Tullamore Mart and the wider farming community has been “extraordinary, compassionate and deeply humbling.”

For Mahon, this appeal is personal and heartfelt. After spending 40 years working across the midlands with the old P&T, Telecom Éireann, Éircom and later Éir, and another eight years helping local communities through the Rural Social Scheme, Tidy Towns groups and voluntary organisations, Mahon returned to farming following his retirement.

Now he is travelling once more through the farms, roads and communities he spent a lifetime serving, but this time carrying a different message.

Mahon said: “I have dealt with farmers all my life and I know the goodness that is in them.

“When people see how one donated animal here can help transform the life of a struggling farming family in Africa, I believe they will help.

"Farmers believe in giving a hand up, not a hand out, and that is exactly what Self Help Africa does.”

Some farmers, Pat said, have already committed to donating calves and livestock to the fundraiser, but over the coming months he hopes many more farmers; marts; agricultural businesses; organisations; companies; schools; sports clubs and rural organisations will rally behind the appeal.

“The response so far has been incredibly heartening," he said.

"There is great kindness in rural Ireland. Farmers know what it means when neighbours help neighbours in difficult times.

The campaign was inspired by the humanitarian work and writings of Ronan Scully, who has spent almost four decades working with vulnerable communities in Africa.

Self Help Africa

Through his work supporting Self Help Africa, Scully has walked through drought-stricken communities in Ethiopia, flood-ravaged villages in Malawi, refugee settlements in Zambia, Angola and Uganda, and camps for displaced families in northern Ethiopia.

According to Scully, the fundraiser has the power to genuinely change lives.

“I have walked roads where the earth had split open from drought,” he said.

“I have stood with families who had lost their crops, their animals and their homes. I have held the hands of children weakened by hunger. But I have also seen extraordinary resilience and courage.

“In many African communities, livestock are life. A cow, goat, sheep or chickens can mean milk for children; income for school fees; nutrition for families; security during crises and hope for the future."

He outlined how the proceeds raised from the fundraiser will support livestock breeding programmes, artificial intelligence services, community veterinary care, livestock training and initiatives that help improve the breeding and bloodlines of cattle, sheep, goats and poultry across vulnerable communities in Africa.

“It is not charity that creates dependency. It is solidarity that creates opportunity, dignity and hope," Ronan said.

The appeal also highlights the enormous impact Irish generosity continues to have through the work of Self Help Africa, supported by the compassion of the Irish people and by Irish aid through the Irish government.

Farming families

Self Help Africa works alongside farming families and rural communities providing seeds; tools; water projects; climate-smart agriculture, livestock supports; women-led enterprise programmes; education initiatives and small business opportunities that empower people to feed their families and build sustainable futures with dignity and independence.

According to the charity, at the centre of this work are women farmers, mothers, grandmothers, daughters and sisters, "whose resilience often keeps entire families and communities alive during times of crisis".

In this year celebrating International Year of the Woman Farmer, organisers said the fundraiser is also a tribute to the "courage, sacrifice and determination of women in agriculture everywhere".

Pat Mahon believes Irish farming communities can make a profound difference.

He said: “We cannot solve every problem in the world but we can choose not to ignore suffering.

"We can choose compassion. One animal from one farm in Ireland may seem small to us, but somewhere in Africa it could become the reason a child eats, a family survives or a mother has hope again.”