This month we are partnering with TRAID to support female farmers in Benin to move away from chemical pesticides in the production of cotton, free up their time and give them a new income stream to channel into the wider community. Supporting farmers to grow organic cotton is one of the ways TRAID are working to solve the problems caused by producing, consuming and disposing of clothes. Their approach also includes ensuring retailers eliminate child labour in their supply chains and encouraging us in the UK to reuse or re-home our clothes to reduce our clothing footprint. Our grant will fund two villages of approximately 350 households with mills that they can use to grind the seed of the neem tree, a natural pesticide which would otherwise have to be ground by hand between two stones. 1 - 2 young people will be trained and paid to operate and maintain the mill, a role which also comes with free accommodation. When not in use, the mill can be rented to people outside the village. A female-led committee will be set up to manage the operation and decide where to spend the profit within the community. The whole village gains from funds raised by charging for milling maize or other produce. So far, the committees report employing teachers, improving school buildings, providing warm lunches to school children, paying medical fees and providing small loans for local businesses.