A charity run by just four full-time staff is being backed by Andrew Marr and will feature as part of a Radio 4 charity appeal.

Ham & High: One of the farming families International Development Enterprises (iDE) has helped lift from povertyOne of the farming families International Development Enterprises (iDE) has helped lift from poverty (Image: Archant)

Staff at the International Development Enterprises (iDE), are delighted to have won the support of BBC presenter and journalist Mr Marr, who is a keen supporter of small charities.

The radio appeal, presented by Mr Marr, is to be broadcast three times on BBC Radio 4 in early February and will tell inspirational stories from the 100,000 farming families the charity helps lift from poverty every year.

Staff at iDE are dedicated to improving opportunities for the world’s rural poor, with programmes established in communities across Africa and Asia. run by a team of dedicated volunteers.

The charity was established in 1999 in Barnes and moved to Golders Green a decade later.

It has since been credited with helping hundreds of thousands of farming families recover from poverty each year, by providing training and loans to help buy essential farming equipment like pumps and irrigation systems.

Mr Marr said: “In a world of huge charities with big bureaucracies, I like the idea of getting money to smaller charities who do the real work on the ground.

‘‘This is basic sustainable and highly practical help. It’s the old business of providing no fish, but fishing rods and tackle. That’s why I support them so strongly and I hope you will too.”

The Radio 4 appeal, to be broadcast on February 2, will tell the story of Florence, a mother from Zambia, who increased her income from 6p to £6 a day by working with iDE.

Lewis Temple, 41, chief executive of iDE, said the team was “absolutely delighted” to receive the support of Mr Marr.

He said: “We’re run by just four people out of a room behind some Golders Green shops, so this is fantastic exposure for a small organisation such as iDE.

“It’s a terrific opportunity for us to get our work out there and we think that as many as two million people will tune in to the appeal.

“Particularly given Andrew’s recent health problems, it’s great that he is giving us his full support.”

Mr Temple joined iDE as its only paid staff member in March 2009 after working for years on international development projects in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Ethiopia.

After moving the business from Barnes to its office in Accommodation Road, Golders Green, in late 2009, he says iDE is raising 10 times as much as it used to and has been able to take on four staff members.

Mr Temple put iDE’s success down to a growing awareness of the benefits of long-term sustainable aid and the support of local businesses, including the Finchley Golf Club. The charity aims to reach out to a million of the world’s poorest families by 2020.

* To find out more visit www.ide-uk.org.