malawi



Songs of joy welcome Martha

Posted Tuesday October 2 2012 by in Archive News

Two thousand Malawian children sang and danced for joy as they welcomed Martha Payne and her family to the school which has benefited from her fundraising efforts.

Martha was greeted to Lirangwe Primary School by rows of excited children who sang songs and called out ‘well done Martha’ as they arrived.

Martha and supporters of her NeverSeconds blog have so far raised over £115,000 for Mary’s Meals and some of that money has been used to build a new kitchen shelter at the school and feed all pupils at the school with a daily meal for a whole school year.

The nine-year-old and her family took turns to put the finishing touches on the kitchen sign by painting the word ‘NeverSeconds’ which was followed by a celebrating involving a school choir, who sang songs they had written about Martha.

Martha has chosen to name her kitchen in Malawi as ‘Friends of NeverSeconds’ in recognition of the worldwide support which she is receiving.

There was much laughter when the choir gave their take of the popular repetitive children’s song ‘If You’re Happy and You Know It’, instead singing ‘If You Are Happy with Martha, Clap Your Hands’ which followed them moving to verses of ‘If You are Happy with Martha Shake Your Body.’

Martha described the overwhelming experience of the whole day as amazing, and said: “I woke up this morning and was very excited. This is the day I was waiting for.”

During her visit to the primary school, Martha joined a maths class where she participated in lessons.

She also stood in a queue of children who were served a mug of likuni phala, a nutritious type of porridge supplemented with additional vitamins and minerals.

Martha then sat alongside pupils at the school as she tucked into the porridge. Next to her was Gilbert who was one of the pupils that sent Martha a message of heartfelt thanks when her fundraising efforts took off.

Gilbert, 14, is an orphan who has no-one to look after him and he lives on the street, sleeping on benches. Gilbert was motivated to come to school when Mary’s Meals started feeding at Lirangwe Primary School because he would no longer have to spend his days worrying about how he was going to eat.

He said: “I like the porridge because after I eat the porridge I am active and can concentrate in class. It really helps me because it takes me a while to get hungry and worry about food.

“I would like to become the President of my country and look after our people, so there will be no more suffering.”

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Martha receives special send-off

Posted Wednesday September 19 2012 by in Archive News

Top chef Nick Nairn has joined nine-year-old blogger Martha Payne to wish her luck on her travels to Malawi, where she will see the work of her favourite charity Mary’s Meals in action.

Martha and friends of her NeverSeconds blog have so far raised over £114,500 for the charity which will go a long way to helping thousands of the world’s hungriest kids receive a daily meal.

Next month, Martha will travel to Malawi where she will see the kitchen shelter which has been built at Lirangwe School with some of the money raised, and where she will also meet children who will receive a daily meal from Mary’s Meals for a whole school year thanks to support from the blog.

Nick Nairn, who has previously congratulated the nine-year-old on her efforts, cooked up a special porridge breakfast for an excited Martha and wished her well on her travels.

The pair met back in June as part of a group to discuss school meals and food education.

Tucking into bowls of porridge, Nick said: “I’m here to wish Martha every success on her travels to Malawi. She’s achieved an amazing feat – raising huge sums for Mary’s Meals to provide a daily nutritious meal for children in dire need overseas. She’s also done a great job in raising awareness about what’s on offer for school dinners here in Scotland.”

Ongoing donations received through Martha’s online giving page are allowing Mary’s Meals to provide a daily meal to thousands of other hungry children around the world – and with every £10.70 donated, enough to feed a child for a whole school year, that number keeps rising.

In total, thanks to the incredible support for Martha’s NeverSeconds blog, over 10,000 children will receive a daily meal in some of the world’s poorest countries where poverty and hunger prevent them from getting an education.

Commenting on the tremendous achievement, Martha said: ‘I never dreamt we’d achieve so much. I can’t stop thinking about all the children we’re helping. Just 6 pence for Mary’s Meals gives another hungry child a meal.”

Martha and Nick felt it was appropriate to mark the occasion with a porridge breakfast as in Malawi, at Mary’s Meals’ largest project, over half a million children receive a daily nutritious porridge-like dish every school day to attract them to the classroom, where they can gain a basic education.

During her visit to Malawi, Martha hopes to put the finishing touches on the sign for the school kitchen that is being built by Mary’s Meals. She has chosen to name her kitchen in Malawi as ‘Friends of NeverSeconds’ in recognition of the worldwide support which she is receiving.

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Malawian students to perform at pre-Olympics party

Posted Tuesday July 17 2012 by in Archive News

Two Malawian sisters who receive Mary’s Meals are heading to London after being invited to perform with UK band The Noisettes at a pre-Olympics concert.

Madalo, 20, and 16-year-old Grace will take to the ‘Africa Stage’ with the band this Sunday, 22nd July, at the River of Music event at the London Pleasure Gardens.

The girls first caught the attention of The Noisettes when the band saw them performing at Malawi’s “Lake of Stars” festival in 2010. Back then, the girls played with their school group, the Jacaranda Band. Now they’re incredibly excited about the prospect of performing in the UK. “I feel very happy and excited and I get to travel and see new things in the process,” said Madalo.

The sisters attend school at the Jacaranda School for Orphans in Limbe, Malawi, where Mary’s Meals supplies a daily meal of nutritious likuni phala porridge to pupils. Both girls said they wanted to thank staff at the Jacaranda Foundation for aiding them in their achievements.

Grace said: “I am thankful for this opportunity to exhibit our skills and talent. Without Jacaranda, I would not be known. I’m so excited about the performance.”

Madalo also had kind words for Mary’s Meals. She said: “I would like to thank Mary’s Meals for the porridge. It helps us a lot as some of us come from afar and we are needy and hungry so the porridge goes a long way for us.”

Grace and Madalo lost their father 15 years ago and their mother struggled to look after them and their four siblings. The girls were given fully sponsored places at the Jacaranda Foundation where they are gaining an education and developing their talents.

Marie Da Silva, founder of the Jacaranda Foundation, is grateful for Mary’s Meals’ support of the school. Marie told us: “Mary’s Meals has changed our children’s lives. Today we are able to feed 400 orphans. For the children who are HIV positive, the phala [porridge] is life-saving because, for many, this is the one nutritious meal they have each day. We have seen the big difference in their school attendance, performance and, most of all, their health.”

Mary’s Meals now feeds more than 549,000 children in Malawi every day at school, thus attracting children to the classroom, where they receive an education that can – in the future – be their ladder out of poverty.

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Mary’s Meals kids send big ‘thank you’ to Martha and friends

Posted Monday June 18 2012 by in Archive News

Hungry kids in Malawi, who now have the chance of a brighter future thanks to the incredible efforts of nine-year-old Martha Payne and her friends, have sent a heartfelt message of thanks.

Martha and supporters of her NeverSeconds blog have raised over £115,000 for Mary’s Meals and worldwide awareness of the charity, which provides a daily meal to hungry children in some of the world’s poorest countries where poverty and hunger prevent them from getting an education.

The incredible support for Martha’s NeverSeconds blog will see around 10,000 children in total receive a daily meal in some of the world’s poorest countries where poverty and hunger prevent them from getting an education.

As a result of donations to Martha’s online giving page, the money raised will also be used to build a kitchen shelter and feed an entire school for a year at Lirangwe Primary School in Blantyre, Malawi, as part of Mary’s Meals’ Sponsor a School initiative.

Pupils at Lirangwe Primary, were excited to hear the news and gave Martha and her supporters a huge message of thanks. On the blackboard at their school, they wrote: “Thank you Martha and your friends” and sang songs in appreciation of the support received.

Martha has chosen to name her kitchen in Malawi as ‘Friends of NeverSeconds’ in recognition of the worldwide support which she is receiving. Commenting on the amazing response to her blog, Martha said: “It’s really good because it can feed lots of children for a long time.

“Calling the kitchen ‘Friends of NeverSeconds’ is important as it’s a thank you to everyone who has supported me and Mary’s Meals. Mary’s Meals is a very simple charity and it can achieve so much with so very little.”

In Malawi, Mary’s Meals provides children with a daily mug of likuni phala, a nutritious type of porridge supplemented with additional vitamins and minerals, to fill their empty bellies and to attract them to the classroom where they can get an education which can lift them out of poverty in later life.

It costs Mary’s Meals a global average of just £10.70 (€12.40/$16.80) to feed a hungry child for an entire school year. The charity provides a daily meal to over 650,000 kids every school day in 16 of the world’s poorest countries, including Malawi, Liberia, Kenya, India and Haiti.

To donate to Martha’s appeal, please visit www.justgiving.com/neverseconds, or visit the Mary’s Meals donation page.

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Celebrities support Big Blue Mug campaign

Posted Thursday February 9 2012 by in Latest News

TO ORDER A BIG BLUE MUG, PLEASE CALL US ON 0800 698 1212 OR EMAIL INFO@MARYSMEALS.ORG

Singing superstar Annie Lennox [pictured below] and Britain’s Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon [pictured left] are the latest celebrities to give the wow factor to our Big Blue Mug!

Ex-Eurythmics singer Annie and former Strictly Come Dancing star Alesha are both supporting our campaign which invites people to get their hands on a bright blue mug, similar to those we use to provide Mary’s Meals to children in Malawi.

The plastic mugs are being offered as an alternative gift for a minimum donation of £7 each, which is how much it costs us in Malawi to feed a child for a whole school year.

Our Big Blue Mug campaign was recently launched by top TV and radio personality Dermot O’Leary, and has since also received the support of actor Stephen Fry, and leaders of Scottish political parties.

Alesha said: “The work of Mary’s Meals is very important and very inspiring. I’m delighted to support the Big Blue Mug Campaign, which draws attention to the life-changing meals so many hungry children are enjoying every day in Malawi.

“To think that Mary’s Meals can feed a child every school day, and in doing so give them access to an education that will help them escape poverty, for such a small amount of money is quite amazing.”

In Malawi, Mary’s Meals feeds over 500,000 children every school day – 20% of the primary school population.

Each child is given a daily serving of likuni phala which is a vitamin enriched maize porridge served in plastic mugs. Each child is responsible for their own mug, ensuring they get a fair portion every school day. Some carry them around their neck on a piece of string to make sure they don’t miss out.

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Mary’s Meals children celebrate festive joy

Posted Friday December 23 2011 by in Archive News

Nursery children in Malawi have been celebrating the festive season with Mary’s Meals sponsored Christmas parties.

All 45 of our pre-school under six centres have been buzzing with excitement and anticipation which is a time of fun for both children and volunteers alike.

Little girls are all dressed in their best outfits – shiny, shimmery fabric in blues, pinks and whites; little boys in their best shorts or trousers and shirts. Despite the efforts the little ones make, their hardships in life are evident through the little rips and wear and tear of their best clothes. Though all one can see on their dear faces is eagerness and wide smiles.

Children at under-six Christmas parties

The children chant a few nursery rhymes and show us what they have learnt for the year and at one centre, the head volunteer gives a speech thanking Mary’s Meals for their contribution, without which the centre would not survive. Then it’s time for snacks and a little present.

Each child enjoyed glasses of refreshing orange juice along with packets of corn curls, after which the Under Six team distributed bars of colourful soap to the children. The bars were received with beaming smiles by the children.

The children had already received early Christmas presents at the end of school year parties we threw in July. Each present had been painstakingly packed. Inside the plastic bag each child received were clothes, toothpaste, toothbrush, washing soap, biscuits, crisps, juice, soft toys and a game of some sort.

Attending these Christmas Parties reinforces some of the reasons why people who celebrate Christmas do so – that is of sharing and spreading joy. These Christmas parties help us remember to share with those and appreciate those who are less fortunate.

Certainly, these children embody the love and abundance of joy that is Christmas and after one witnesses their patience and absolute happiness with the most simple of presents – one cannot help but love them all the more.

 

 

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Mary’s Meals feeds over 600,000 hungry children

Posted Monday December 12 2011 by in Latest News

Mary’s Meals is now feeding over 600,000 hungry children in some of the poorest countries in the world.

After reaching the milestone of half a million children at the start of this year, the continued support and generosity of supporters for the charity has enabled an extra 100,705 children to receive a daily meal in a place of education in 16 different countries.

Much of the latest increase in the number of children Mary’s Meals is feeding has taken place in Malawi, where we are now reaching 18 per cent of primary school children.

Support for our Sponsor a School scheme, which allows individuals and groups to fundraise to cover the costs of building a kitchen and / or the amount required to feed all the children at a school for a whole year, has also helped us expand into further schools.

Meanwhile, a new project in the West African country of Benin has meant over 500 children are now receiving Mary’s Meals. This was made possible by Mary’s Meals supporters in Croatia.

“It is incredible that as this year comes to an end, the number of children we are feeding has grown further still so that today, 600,000 of the world’s poorest children are now being fed every day in their place of education,” says Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, founder of Mary’s Meals.

“None of this would be possible without the wonderful acts of love we receive from around the world from people who share our vision and who are helping us transform the lives of children by keeping them healthy and encouraging them to attend school.”

 

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Quarter of a million backpacks sent overseas by Mary’s Meals

Posted Thursday October 27 2011 by in Latest News

Mary’s Meals is sending a further 6,000 backpacks – filled with basic educational resources like pens and books – to hungry children in Malawi, bringing the total number of backpacks sent overseas by the charity to a staggering 250,000.

School children from St Monica’s Primary School in Glasgow helped volunteers and warehouse staff celebrate by lending a hand loading up a container with the latest donation of backpacks.

Mary’s Meals aims to remove the barriers that stop the world’s poorest children from benefiting from an education and, while the charity’s main work is its school feeding programmes, it decided to develop the Backpack Project after finding that a lack of very basic educational resources was another obstacle to children in Malawi making the most of school.

Pupils from St Monica's Primary School in Glasgow help load a container with backpacks bound for Malawi

 

Tony Begley, Education Co-ordinator at Mary’s Meals, said: “We’re delighted that our Backpack Project has reached the quarter-million milestone.

“These backpacks, filled with everyday school supplies, will provide a real lifeline to Malawian children, as studies show that receiving an education is the best way for a chronically poor child to escape poverty in later life.”

In addition to the hundreds of individuals, schools, churches and other groups who have supported the Backpack project over the years, several high profile figures have also got involved. Prime Minister David Cameron has contributed Downing Street branded pens in the past, and EastEnders star June Brown donated some drawing sets.

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One Porridge partnership to feed hungry children

Posted Friday October 14 2011 by in Latest News

Mary’s Meals is delighted to announce a new partnership with the One Foundation which will help transform the lives of tens of thousands of children in Africa.

The charity, which feeds the world’s poorest children in a place of education, will receive a donation from each packet of One Oaty Goodness Porridge sold in UK supermarkets.

It costs Mary’s Meals a global average of 4p to give a child a life sustaining meal. Each penny generated by sales of this new product will have a significant impact.

One Oaty Goodness will work towards combating hunger and malnutrition throughout Africa.

The money raised by this partnership will initially feed children in Malawi and Liberia, Mary’s Meals’ two biggest projects in two of the world’s most deprived countries.

Malawi is where the Mary’s Meals campaign started in 2002. The charity is now feeding over 470,000 Malawian children each school day, which is more than 17% of the primary school population. They are fed Likuni Phala, a locally sourced, maize based, porridge type mix.

In Liberia which has suffered many years of civil war, Mary’s Meals helps former child soldiers and girls. The daily meal here is rice, fish and beans.

One Oaty Goodness is available in Tesco’s, Sainsbury’s and Ocado – other retailers are expected to join soon. You can view the video below of a recent trip to Malawi to visit school feeding programmes that will be funded by the sale of One Porridge.

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Chimps at Edinburgh Zoo support World Porridge Day

Posted Sunday October 9 2011 by in Archive News

Chimps at Edinburgh Zoo enjoying their porridge

Chimpanzees at Edinburgh Zoo have been going bananas for big portions of warm porridge to mark World Porridge Day.

The global event, which takes place every year on October 10, gives porridge enthusiasts the chance to celebrate one of Scotland’s favourite national dishes, whilst raising awareness of the life-saving work of Scottish-based charity, Mary’s Meals.

Porridge provides a delicious breakfast for people all over the UK, but for over 479,000 school-children in Malawi – who receive a daily mug of maize-based, porridge-like ‘likuni phala’ from Mary’s Meals – it is a powerful incentive to go to school and, for many, the only nutritious meal they will have that day.

And the nutritional benefits of ‘oat cuisine’ are not lost on the keepers at Edinburgh Zoo, who feed sizeable portions of porridge to their chimpanzees four times every week.

Enthusiastic chimps like Louis, Lucy, Lyndsey and Liberius always go ape for their oats – alongside a wide selection of fruits and vegetables, as part of a varied diet which is designed to make sure they get all the nutrients they need.

Dee Masters, Budongo Trail Team Leader, commented: “Porridge is of fantastic benefit to the 21 chimps in Edinburgh Zoo’s Budongo Trail. It’s great for their digestive system and it fills them up just like it would a human.

“We make the porridge from scratch with water and oats, sometimes adding extras like bananas, yoghurt, raisins, honey or sunflower seeds. The chimpanzees absolutely love it. We put their porridge into plastic bottles so they can drink the mixture or use sticks as tools to pull it out. They’re always sure to drain every last drop.”

Abeer Macintyre, head of supporter care at Mary’s Meals, said: “We’re delighted that the chimps at Edinburgh Zoo will be marking World Porridge Day in their own unique way. We invite everyone around the world to have an oat-based dish on October 10 as a show of solidarity with children for whom this is the only meal of the day.

“It’s wonderful to see so many people having fun on this day but there is a serious message and that is: This cup of porridge, which costs just 3p to provide, will save children’s lives. The fact it is delivered in a place of learning will give children the opportunity to lift themselves out of poverty as adults.”

Other World Porridge Day Celebrations

Meanwhile, not far from Edinburgh Zoo at the First Minister’s residence, Alex Salmond has also been celebrating World Porridge Day. Bowls and spoons were at the ready at Bute House last week when the First Minister and his cabinet were served platefuls of porridge.

World Porridge Day highlights role porridge plays at Mary's Meals

Support for World Porridge Day has come from far and wide, with people from the US to the UK taking part in the international day. Events include fundraising breakfasts in schools, community centres and church halls – as well as a live link-up between Holyrood Secondary School in Glasgow and a Mary’s Meals partner school in Malawi, as the pupils each eat porridge breakfasts at the same time.

Children at HHI Primary School in Malawi, which receives Mary’s Meals, also celebrated with musical performances focused around the role of the porridge provided by Mary’s Meals.

In the US, a school in Texas did away with chairs and tables at lunchtime to put themselves in the shoes of poor children around the world who don’t have a place to eat. They were then given oatmeal for their lunches. World Porridge Day has also been marked with events in far-flung places such as Canada, Abu Dhabi, Austria and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

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