The impact of a daily school meal
The promise of a daily school meal attracts hungry children into the classroom. But the impact of school meals goes much further. They also:
- Improve concentration
- Increase participation in class
- Support children’s overall happiness
This makes school feeding a key investment in a country’s future, and a cost-effective route out of poverty in the long term.
Hunger reduction
Our research shows that children’s hunger decreases when daily meals are introduced at school. Children who feel less hungry at school may also worry less about when they will eat next – even if it’s not certain that there will be food available at home.
School attendance
Our school feeding programmes reduce how often children miss school and encourage them to stay in school for the full day. Teachers tell us that the introduction of Mary’s Meals improves children’s attendance and that far fewer learners leave early because of hunger.
Concentration and participation
Reliable school meals help children to concentrate on their lessons and participate more actively in the classroom, as well as giving them energy to play with their friends during playtime. Children consistently tell us that school meals make them less tired and more able to focus on their work.
Mary’s Meals annual impact report
School feeding programmes are widely recognised as a cost-effective way to tackle poverty by addressing the immediate needs of hungry children and contributing to the long-term development of their communities.
We conduct research annually to show the ongoing impact of our work. Our latest research across our programmes shows:
- Hunger levels nearly halved, decreasing from 88% to 48%.
- Before the meal 40% of children reported that they can concentrate well in school. This increased to 94% after the meal was served.
- Since the launch of our school feeding programme in Zambia, there has been a 22% increase in the percentage of children progressing from primary to secondary school.
How does Mary’s Meals help children, families and communities?
Our 2025 impact research shows school meals not only help to alleviate children’s immediate hunger – they also contribute to improving their education and health, providing a safety net for families experiencing vulnerability, bringing children and communities together, and strengthening local food systems.
Improving education
In 2025, our school feeding programmes improved children’s access to education by reducing hunger-related barriers to participation and supporting them to concentrate and learn. The average pass rate across schools in Malawi where children receive our meals increased from 72% before the school feeding programme to 80% after its introduction.
Supporting health and wellbeing
Daily school meals also ensure reliable access to nutritious food that supports growth, energy, and development. Across our programmes, at least 76% of children reported that they used to worry about hunger at school. This dropped to 10% once they started receiving meals.
Providing a safety net
Our school feeding programmes provided a social safety net that helps vulnerable households to better cope with economic shocks and periods of food insecurity. In Haiti, 61% of children reported not having enough food to eat at home in the past week prior to receiving school meals. This dropped to 50% after school feeding was introduced.
Uniting children and communities
School feeding also reinforced social and community cohesion by fostering trust, collaboration, and shared responsibility for schools and communities engaged in delivering school meals. Only 12% of learners in Ethiopia said they played with friends at school every day before the school feeding programme. After meals were introduced, this increased to 58%.
Strengthening food systems
We delivered over 28,600 metric tonnes of locally procured food for our school meals globally in 2025. From January to June 2025, we procured 1,155 tonnes of maize and 418 tonnes of soya beans from local smallholder farmers in Zambia, which is helping to build long-term, sustainable development through linking outcomes in education and agriculture.
Assessing the impact of Mary’s Meals
Our five-year research project observed our school feeding programme in two of our largest country programmes: Malawi and Zambia.
We spoke to children, teachers, parents and volunteers in each country to find out more about the difference school meals are making. Our findings showed that the meals we serve every school day have the power to impact child hunger and children’s energy and wellbeing and to increase school enrolment and improve attendance.
You can make an impact
As a low cost, volunteer lead organisation, we depend on the support of people to spread the word about Mary’s Meals and help us raise funds, so that children around the world can have hope for a better future. See below for ways you can help.
Get involved with Mary's Meals
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