Mary's Meals, a simple solution to world hunger

Our founder Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, tells the story of his visit to a school in Malawi.

“We had already been driving for more than an hour on a dirt track when we reached a sign that told us we had reached ‘Far Away District’. The name made us laugh. The children on the sides of the road were also laughing and shouting as they made their way to school.

“Each one had a shiny new colourful mug suspended from a string necklace. This is Neno, a remote rural area of Malawi, well known for its extreme poverty, and where rain often fails to fall and a place where children are all too often hungry. Four days before our visit, Mary’s Meals was served here for the very first time in 13 primary schools.

“At each school the community has built a temporary kitchen of poles and thatched roofs so that the cooking of Mary’s Meals could begin even before the construction of the permanent buildings (and the bricks for these have also already been made by the eager local community and are stacked ready in each school playground).

“At each of the schools we visit we are surrounded by singing, dancing ladies, and hundreds of happy children waving their mugs in the air. There is an overwhelming mood of celebration and profound thanksgiving. Each head teacher has a similar story to tell us. ‘My enrolment has increased from 395 to 465 this week’ said the beaming head at Chigona Primary. ‘So many have enrolled in standard one for the first time. We will let them spend the remainder of this school year with us, getting used to the school, but then after the summer they will start standard one officially. Some of them are walking from up to 5km away. And we expect many more to come.’

“As the expansion of Mary’s Meals in Malawi takes us more and more into the most rural areas, we see that the impact of Mary’s Meals becomes even greater. More children tend to be missing out on school in these desperately poor communities and so the introduction of Mary’s Meals causes even greater leaps in enrolment.

“Often these remote communities feel neglected by governments and other organisations. That is perhaps why the welcome here seemed particularly special and the sense of heartfelt joy in the communities seems even more overwhelming than normal. The good people of Far Away District do not feel far away at all to me now. Not even as I write this back in Scotland. Now they are close to all of us as new members of the Mary’s Meals family.”

Volunteers are being sought to help organise a gruelling quadrathlon which is raising funds for Mary’s Meals and its work in Malawi.

The Artemis Great Kindrochit Quadrathlon is one of Scotland’s most exciting outdoor sporting events with 400 participants already signed up to compete.

Volunteers who can give their support between Friday July 12 and Sunday July 14 are now needed to look after the athletes and ensure the quadrathlon is a success.

The competitors will push themselves to the limit swimming Loch Tay, running seven Munro’s, kayaking and cycling as part of the unique challenge.

Volunteers are needed for a number of vital tasks, including registration, helping participants en-route, handing out food and supplies and providing much-needed encouragement to keep the athletes’ spirits up.

Mary’s Meals is one of the two beneficiaries of the Quad, with seven schools in Malawi supported as a result of fundraising efforts.

Ailie Marks, Fundraising Officer for Mary’s Meals, said: “All in all, it’s a great way to spend a weekend where you can meet new friends, have lots of fun and know that you’re helping make a lasting difference to people’s lives.”

Anyone who would like to hear more or receive a volunteer pack can get in touch with Ailie on 0141 336 1866.

We are now reaching over three quarters of a million hungry children in some of the most deprived countries every day they attend school.

Our work would not be possible without the generosity of supporters like you, who hail from all over the world. The wonderful stories we hear of people fundraising and generating awareness on our behalf never ceases to amaze and inspire us.

This support has allowed us to add a staggering 20,000 children to our school feeding programme in the last three months. When you think it costs just £10.70 to feed a child for a whole school year, it really does show that so little can go a long way.

Our Sponsor a School initiative also play a vital role in helping us reach more queues of children waiting to receive Mary’s Meals.

Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, the founder and chief executive of Mary’s Meals said: “This kind of support is absolutely vital to us and helps us grow the number of hungry children receiving their
life-changing meal each day.

“We must celebrate the advances we have made while remembering that there are many millions of children who still miss school as a result of poverty. With your help we can reach them.”

The president of Malawi has spoken of the progress made by Mary’s Meals which feeds more than half a million children every day in the impoverished country.

Joyce Banda, who was in Scotland for celebrations to mark 200 years since the birth of Scottish missionary Dr David Livingstone, said: “There is evidence that Mary’s Meals work in Malawi is contributing towards increasing enrolment, improved school attendance and better learning outcomes demonstrated by the increases in the number of children passing their exams.”

The president talked of the advances during a meeting with charity founder, Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow.

She was also pleased to hear that we plan to increase the number of children receiving daily Mary’s Meals by the end of this year and with further significant expansions in 2014.

Mary’s Meals began by feeding 200 children in Malawi. Today, over 593,000 children in the country currently receive a nutritious meal every day in their place of education. This means we are currently reaching over 20% of the country’s entire primary school population. For many of these children it will be there only meal of the day.

Magnus said: “It is wonderful to hear that our school feeding programme is making progress in feeding some of the world’s poorest children, and we must build on these advances.

Magnus meets Malawian President

“Today, around the world, 67 million children miss school because of poverty. Instead of sitting in a classroom getting an education, they are working in fields, begging on street corners, or scavenging among the garbage to survive. Millions more attend school so hungry that they are not able to concentrate and learn.

“We have lists of schools waiting for us to start providing Mary’s Meals in communities where local volunteers are ready to give up their time to cook and serve the meals, if we can raise the funds to provide the food.

“Our vision is that every child in the world should be able to receive one good meal every day in a place of education. In this world of plenty there is no reason why that can’t happen.”

Celebrities including singer Annie Lennox and former prime minister Gordon Brown have given their backing to Child 31, a documentary featuring the work of Mary’s Meals.

Annie Lennox said: “Child 31 is a stunning film piece, highlighting the unimaginable challenges faced by children living in poverty today, and how the vision and ingenuity of Mary’s Meals effectively responds to the challenges of hunger and education as a combined package, at a grassroots, communal level.

“If one fact should resonate in our minds after viewing Child 31, it might be that the average cost of a lunch in the United States could feed a child in a developing country for an entire year.

“Mary’s Meals feeds over half a million children every single day, encouraging them to attend school and receive an essential education at the same time. It’s not rocket science and it really works.”

Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister and now appointed United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, has also given his support to the film.

He said: “‘A hunger for knowledge’ is a phrase we all know, but it takes on a whole new meaning when we view the emotive and moving film, Child 31. Mary’s Meals is feeding the hunger. Mary’s Meals is helping provide the knowledge.

“Ensuring every child has the opportunity to go to school and learn is a long-standing passion of mine. Education breaks the cycle of poverty and unlocks better health and job prospects.

“As I travel throughout the world on this mission, as the UN Envoy for Global Education, I don’t need a calling card. I will just leave a copy of Child 31 and show what can be done to encourage children into education.

“We should all be incredibly proud of what Magnus and all those involved with Mary’s Meals have achieved. Child 31 is a great testament to what can be done, what must be done and what hopefully will be done.”

The film has also attracted praise from those working in the broadcast industry.

Stuart Cosgrove, Channel 4’s Director of Creative Diversity, said: “Child 31 is a film that stands out from the pack. Many charity films have integrity and passion but very few come with the quality of cinematography and care that has gone into making this film. It has heart and soul.”

Scottish movie star Gerard Butler, who has visited our offices in Dalmally, Argyll, features in the programme discussing his passion for our work.

He recently told Piers Morgan on his CNN show: “I chased Magnus down. We swapped a couple of phone calls and I said, ‘Okay, I’m coming to visit you’. And so I went and spent the day with him and his family, and saw his charity and met the people who work for him. It is such a worthy cause, because they feed more than half a million children every day all over the world

To view the trailer and for more information, please click here.

The delivery of Mary’s Meals in Malawi will be aided by a Scottish graduate intern,  Education Secretary Michael Russell has announced.

Through Adopt an Intern Ltd, Scottish Government funding will allow a graduate to spend a year working as part of our biggest project in Malawi, where we provide a daily meal to nearly 600,000 chronically poor children every school day.

Mr Russell said: “This Scottish Government is determined to sustain and build on our historical links with Malawi. When I visited the country last year, I saw the difference that Mary’s Meals is making and how much many young Malawians enjoy their daily school meal.

“It is fitting, on International Schools Meals Day, to recognise the contribution Mary’s Meals makes to children living in poverty. We are already funding the feeding of 28,081 children in 27 schools, but we want to do more.

“We will provide funding for a graduate to be based in Malawi and help the charity deliver a daily meal to children in the country. This is a great opportunity for a Scottish graduate to help some of Malawi’s most vulnerable children aim for a brighter future.”

Mary’s Meals currently provides a daily meal to over 734,000 hungry children in some of the world’s poorest countries, where poverty and hunger prevent children from getting an education.

Where Mary’s Meals is provided, there is a rise in rates of enrolment, attendance and academic performance. In Malawi, over 20 per cent of the primary school-age population receives Mary’s Meals.

Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, chief executive of Mary’s Meals, said: “We are extremely grateful to benefit from this opportunity which will be a hugely exciting for a graduate. Working on our school feeding programme is likely to have a lasting impact on the individual concerned.

“Today, around the world, 67 million children miss school because of poverty. Instead of sitting in a classroom getting an education, they are working in fields, begging on street corners, or scavenging among the garbage to survive. Millions more attend school so hungry that they are not able to concentrate and learn.

“Our vision is that every child in the world should be able to receive one good meal every day in a place of education.”

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has visited a Mary’s Meals school programme and praised the “great job” being carried out in the country, where over 66,000 youngsters are now being fed.

The Nobel Peace Prize Laureate recently toured the Beakini Public School just outside Tubmanberg as part of a state visit to Bomi County.

Mary’s Meals extended its school feeding programme to include the facility, a move which has boosted enrolment among pupils, eager to learn after years of civil conflict in the country forced many schools to close.

The school was created in response to the dire need for education in the area, and has allowed children to catch up on years of missed education, as well as benefiting the community in which they live.

During the visit a group of young people gathered in the square and sang to the leader, “Ma Ellen thank you…we will go to school.”

President Sirleaf also met the Mary’s Meals team and was eager to find out about the charity’s work and its plans for the future.

Team members explained to the President that the school feeding programme was currently running in three counties, Grand Cape Mount, rural Montserrado and Bomi, where the Mary’s Meals country headquarters are also situated in Tubmanburg.

Around 66,000 pupils at some 200 schools are now being fed on a daily basis.

Madam Sirleaf said: “You guys are doing a great job.”

The visit was also attended by the Superintendent of the County Hon. Samuel Folley Brown, County Education officer Amos A. Fully, and Development Superintendent Ernest Gray Davis.

STV will broadcast a powerful documentary about Scottish charity Mary’s Meals work in Malawi, Kenya, and India on Friday 15th March.

The hard hitting documentary, Child 31, to be broadcast at 22.35pm has been produced by award-winning New York based production company Grassroots Films. Friday 15th March will be the first time Child 31 has been broadcast on a UK commercial channel.

Following founder Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, Child 31 offers a glimpse into the charity’s simple, yet groundbreaking, approach to feeding the world’s poorest children.

By providing one good meal to a hungry child in a place of education, Mary’s Meals addresses that child’s immediate need for food and provides them with the energy and opportunity to learn, which can be their escape route out of poverty in later life.

Child 31 includes a look at the life of Lette Siheed in Malawi. At 12 years old, Lette is the head of the household and cares for her brothers Michael (10) and Andersen (4).

They have rented out their own little hut, and while they live in a one room annex, the money from the tenant helps them to survive.

Lette cries as she speaks about the loss of her mother two years ago, her father having passed away some years before. She tells us that sometimes the hunger gives her stomach pains and makes her feel like vomiting.

Lette says that when she feels this way, she always thinks back to how, when her mother was alive, she never went hungry. “But it isn’t hard to look after my brothers,” she says, trying to smile.

Elizabeth Partyka, deputy director of channels at STV, said: “Child 31 is a compelling documentary from a charity with very strong Scottish roots that is having an impact on a global scale.

“Figures from Mary’s Meals show that approximately 18,000 children die every day due to hunger-related diseases. On a night when lots of us will be thinking about children at risk all over the world, STV is keen to help shine a light on the issues of child poverty, wherever they occur.”