The Sweet Swap Challenge

Swap sugary treats for healthier options this May and raise money to help farmers in Africa swap poverty for hope.

UK charity Send a Cow has created the Sweet Swap challenge, asking people to give up the sweet things they love for anything from one week to the whole month of May, and to donate the money they save or raise in sponsorship to Send a Cow.

Given that so many of us are trying to reduce the amount of sugar that we and our families eat, Sweet Swap is a great way for people to change their habits by having a go at cutting back on refined sugar, at the same time as supporting a fantastic cause.

Why is Sweet Swap needed?

Sugar is a hot topic right now but one thing that’s not being spoken about is how over 4000 miles away in Uganda, families are trapped into a life of extreme poverty by sugar cane farming.

Faridah’s story explains the need for change. When Send a Cow visited her in the Kamuli district of Uganda, her children were so hungry that she had no choice but to feed them dark, tar-like molasses made from sugar cane. Her youngest, just 1 year old, cries regularly from hunger but with no food to give her, Faridah doses her with locally brewed vodka to soothe her and make her sleep.

Faridah and her husband James (pictured above) work hard on their acre of land. Like generations before them and like thousands of other farmers in their region, they grow sugar cane. Unlike vegetables that can be grown and harvested several times a year, it takes 18 months for sugar cane to mature during which time families have no other income. When they are finally able to sell the sugar cane they have to make whatever they earn stretch until the next harvest – barely enough to feed and clothe the family.

Send a Cow has come to Kamuli because of the widespread poverty, malnutrition and deprivation exacerbated by sugar cane farming. Working with 200 struggling families in the area, Send a Cow will help farmers to start growing food their own food, enabling them to break free from the vicious cycle of poverty. They’ll receive practical training and support alongside tools, seeds and livestock to enable them to diversify their crops and start transforming their lives.

Take part in Sweet Swap and make a difference

Help families like Faridah’s to secure a brighter future by signing up to the Sweet Swap challenge today. Simply visit www.sendacow.org/sweetswap.

To help you on your way, Send a Cow has created a sugar-free recipe book which includes delicious recipes from River Cottage, Riverford, Demuths and some traditional recipes from Uganda. Sign up to Sweet Swap now to receive your free PDF copy!

Spread the word

How are you finding the Sweet Swap challenge? Got any tips to help others? Are you missing a particular sweet treat? Or perhaps you have a great sugar-free recipe to share? Send a Cow want to know all about it!

Follow them @SendaCow and/or use the hashtag #SugarFree

To help spread the word about the Sweet Swap challenge, I created this vegan Banana & Date Muffins‏ recipe which contain no added refined sugar. Instead it it sweeten with dates, banana and sultanas.

 

About Send a Cow

Founded by dairy farmers in the UK at the height of the milk crisis in 1988, Send a Cow is an international development charity which works hand in hand with some of Africa’s poorest communities. The charity provides a proven package of on-going support and practical training, alongside livestock and tools to ensure some of Africa’s most marginalised people have the confidence, knowledge and skills to help themselves.

Within a few months malnourished families are eating regularly and are able to pay for children to attend school. Within a year farmers are diversifying their income streams to ensure they survive the hungry months and unexpected disasters like drought.

Send a Cow doesn’t put cows on planes anymore, but it has already lifted over 1.3m people out of poverty and it has big plans to give millions more the hope and the means to secure their own futures from the land. To find out more visit www.sendacow.org