Reading the stark facts about Zambia can be depressing - an infant mortality rate of almost 20%, life expectancy of just 50 years, and an HIV/AIDS epidemic that kills 50,000 a year and has orphaned 700,000 children.

To many people, this picture of poverty is perhaps typical of so many poor countries. It is only when you begin to work with extremely poor people that you realise, however, that the statistics never tell the full story.

But to witness it, as I did recently with my boss Ray Jordan and my colleague and friend Alan Kerins, is enough to make you believe in hope and the goodness and generosity of people. And none are more generous than the Irish, whose backing for Irish charity Gorta Self Help Africa and The Alan Kerins Projects has enabled these partnered organizations to transform the lives of communities across Zambia.

I joined Gorta Self Help Africa just three years ago and recently partnered with The Alan Kerins Projects because I have always admired their clear focus on poverty, food production, long term development work, education and healthcare that works. I now understand more after this visit to Zambia what this really means.

Gorta Self Help Africa and The Alan Kerins Projects are doing a fantastic job in Zambia and in nine other countries in Africa, lifting people out of the poverty trap, not by throwing money at the problem but by working side by side with the people and getting Zambians and Africans to do it for themselves.

With Irish Aid backing, a major food, health education, and livelihoods programme has been just over two years in existence in the country’s remote Northern Province and is doing great work to bring hope to its people for the future, while EU support is helping the organisation to develop community-based seed banks that will help up to 100,000 small scale farmers grow more food.

Much of Gorta Self Help Africa's and The Alan Kerins Projects work has a focus on women and children, since an increase in their incomes has a much greater effect on the lives of their families. One woman I met during my time in Zambia was Dina Daka, who is a member of a small farmers association in a village 100 miles off road in the bush in the northern part of the country.

Dina set up a poultry and groundnut seed business through a Gorta Self Help Africa-supported micro-finance initiative and received loans, chickens and seeds from the farmers association. This poultry and ground nut enterprise has been very successful for her and it helps her to source adequate food for her children and they are all now eating three meals a day.

Before the loans for her business, the children were eating just one meal per day. Through Gorta Self Help Africa’s support, Dina is now also able to send her children to school for the first time. From the poultry investment she has also expanded her crop fields and has bought two fridges, which allow her to preserve food throughout the rainy season. She also uses the fridges to make ice-blocks which her children help to sell and raise more money for the family.

Dina told me that business and her new income had given her hope - so important, because to live without hope is the most crushing of burdens.

The Alan Kerins Projects led by the inspirational Alan Kerins are now partnering with Gorta Self Help Africa and are doing tremendous work in the western province. We visited Kaoma and Mongu where we met two wonderful inspirational Presentation sisters, Sr Cathy Crawford and Sr Molly Moloney who supported by The Alan Kerins Projects are providing community development, health projects, agricultural programmes and education projects for thousands of people and children. Amongst these projects are new buildings at Kaoma Orphanage, block making projects, supplementary feeding projects, school sponsorship programmes and the building of a new local school and community centre for over 1,800 children. But much more needs to be done and needs to be done urgently.

During my time in Zambia, it was heartbreaking to see so many people and children living in poverty. But it was great to see just how much small changes - brought about by the work of Gorta Self Help Africa and The Alan Kerins Projects - are making a huge difference to the lives of so many people and children, giving them a leg up out of the poverty trap and helping them to stand up for themselves and their livelihoods.

The work that Gorta Self Help Africa and The Alan Kerins Projects does in Zambia and other great Irish organisations like the Irish missionaries in the Presentation Order and The SMA Fathers may seem like a drop in the ocean but we will continue to do what we can to help the poor. This work, and that of Gorta Self Help Africa workers in ten different countries in Africa, could not continue without the ongoing support of the Irish public. Everyone at Gorta Self Help Africa and The Alan Kerins Projects and the people and children we help are truly grateful. Life will go on but as it does, part of Zambia and its great women and children will go on within me.

If you would like to help Gorta Self Help Africa and the Alan Kerins Projects with its work, you can make a credit or laser card donation by phoning 01-677-8880 or simply send whatever you can afford to Gorta Self Help Africa, Westside Resource Centre (opp lib), Westside, Galway. You can also contact Ronan Scully at Ronan.Scully@selfhelpafrica.org or phone 087 6189094 or see www.selfhelpafrica.org for details.

Also see upcoming details of two fundraisers for the charity called Climb Croagh Patrick on 23 May and The CAPS to the Summit: Climb Carrauntoohil with Irish Rugby Legends on Friday 11 September 2015 at www.capstothesummit.com.