MORE than 100 people flocked to St Meddan's Church in Troon for a fundraising event to help people in Africa.

Some £560 raised with the money being used to help pigeon pea farmers in Malawi who are being exploited.

Charity Christian Aid are giving business advice, tools and drought resistant seeds.

Today more than 6.5 million people in Malawi are going hungry - more than the total population of Scotland.

Drought, erratic rainfall and devastating floods have led to a life-threatening situation. Harvests have failed and prices have soared.

In the hardest-hit communities, desperate parents, whose crops were nearly ready for harvest, are cooking whatever they can find so that their hungry families have something to eat.

As ever, it is the youngest, oldest and the vulnerable who suffer most. Hundreds of thousands of pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and young children are at particular risk of malnutrition.This is what their today looks like, but it doesn’t have to be their future.

Christian Aid have released an initial £70,000 of emergency funds to support 1,000 families in Nsanje – one of the poorest regions. This will help families pay for water, meals and other essential supplies.

But Christian Aid Scotland needs your help so they can reach more people struggling to feed their families.

To support the campaign, log on to www.christianaid.org.uk.