In 2008, Christian Aid set out to create lasting change by investing seed funding in creative ideas to entrenched problems identified and driven by local communities and organisations. We called this the In Their Lifetime programme. By 2025, In Their Lifetime (ITL) has supported almost 40 such projects across the globe across a range of themes from gender equality to entrepreneurship, taking intelligent risks to spark change and end poverty faster.
Every year ITL funds two or three projects. Through a rigorous selection process, we identify the most promising ideas and support pilot projects with clear potential to drive wider change.
Case Study: Afghanistan, Women supporting themselves
Since early 2024 ITL has been running a project in Afghanistan, Building Resilience through Silk and Saffron Cultivation.
Afghanistan is a country in crisis: over 90% of the people now live in poverty and almost 24 million people need humanitarian assistance. Women in Afghanistan are facing extreme poverty and hardship. In rural areas, where families depend mainly on farming, prolonged drought has ravaged crops and communities, and rates of hunger and malnutrition are among the highest in the world. Women are desperate to help feed their families but have few earning options open to them.
With our partner RAADA (Rehabilitation Association and Agriculture Development for Afghanistan), we have been working with female communities in rural Afghanistan to support them to make a sustainable living through silk and saffron production.
At this point in the project, specific achievements include:
· Over 2,000 women were nominated in their community to rear silkworms. The women trainers live in the community and are able to provide peer-to-peer training and support to other women, so they don’t need to travel far or meet in large groups for training. This is important to ensure the project can be delivered despite the constraints faced by women in Afghanistan.
· By the end of the season, women had produced more than 74,000 kilograms of silk cocoons. On average, each woman earned about $193—a life-changing sum in rural Afghanistan, where many families survive on less than $2 a day.
Case study: Nicaragua, Climate Monitoring in Action
This project was carried out with small-scale farmers who are struggling to cope with an unrelenting barrage of extreme weather events resulting from climate change.
This project set up weather stations in local communities and people from the community were trained to be climate observers – people who monitor and share locally-sourced climate information. Information was sent to a data unit run by our local partner, who processed and analysed the data, using it to make accurate climate alerts and tailored crop management advice for farmers.
This data-driven approach didn’t just help farmers react to climate shocks — it enabled them to anticipate and manage risk more effectively. By strengthening the climate resilience of these agricultural communities, the project safeguarded both livelihoods and long-term food security — a powerful example of how targeted investment in innovation and local leadership creates sustainable impact.
By the end of the project we were excited to see the following changes:
• Improved yields and minimised losses:
- 60% of cacao farmers increased their yields by an average of 15%
- 70% of coffee farmers increased their yields by 10-20%. The remaining 30% maintained their yields despite hurricanes.
• Improved coffee crop quality: By the end of the project there were 18-20 buckets of green beans (unripe) per sack compared with 22 before, indicating higher quality, heavier beans
• Improved gender balance: 38% of the cooperative members are now women farmers, growing coffee, cacao and honey. Before the project the percentage of women was just 1%.
How can I get involved?
In Their Lifetime brings together grassroots specialists, technical experts and philanthropists who are comfortable with experimenting and pushing boundaries. It sees proactive local organisations present their ideas for driving change in their communities, with a focus on innovation, impact, learning and sustainability. At any one time, we have a range of live projects that need funding, and a pipeline of new initiatives in development.
‘I cannot imagine life without ITL. It has changed my perspective on life altogether. It has stimulated my reading and sense of enquiry, and I am working on sharing the information we receive with others so they can experience that life enhancement too. The way ITL has enabled empowerment through training, especially of women, is impressive and truly transformative, bringing the whole family and community to a productive and life-changing way of life.’ ITL Supporter
ITL makes it possible for Christian Aid to pioneer innovative approaches to tackling poverty which impact the lives of many women, men, and children. Go to In Their Lifetime (ITL) - Christian Aid or email us at philanthropy@christian-aid.org
Biography
For 80 years, Christian Aid has been working as a global movement to:
· alleviate suffering
· expose and eradicate misuses of power
· provide humanitarian support in crises and emergencies
· work for sustainable and long-lasting change.
Our vision is for a world where global resources are equitably shared and sustainably used.
To find out more about our work go to: Christian Aid - UK charity fighting global poverty - Christian Aid