Lyson is a 38-year-old farmer from Malawi. Because of climate change he’s not had a good harvest this year. It’s so bad that he has to mix his family’s normal food with pig food. I’m fundraising for Tearfund to help make sure families like Lyson’s can learn sustainable and innovative farming methods.

The Mean Bean challenge involves eating nothing but plain rice, beans and oats for five days, from 27-31 March. This is the simple diet that millions across the world have to survive on every day.

Tearfund is a wonderful Christian organisation that works through churches in poor communities across the world to offer disaster relief and an end to poverty. A £10 donation can give a family like Lyson's training in sustainable agriculture, giving them a chance to grow food even when conditions are bad.

To keep myself sane throughout the week, I intend to write a blog about my experiences. I plan to write a 200-word post each day of the challenge, but for every £10 donated I will increase the daily word count by 50. As those of you who've read some of my writing in the past, you'll know that it becomes rambly and unorthodox the longer it goes on, so please give as much as you can to give me plenty of writing to do, and more importantly to support the great work done by Tearfund in alleviating poverty.