Introducing Spotlight

We are pleased to introduce our new series of monthly updates named Spotlight, from the Mary’s Meals UK Philanthropy and Partnerships team.

Spotlight was designed to bring our supporters a deeper insight into the work of Mary’s Meals, how we operate, our priorities, and how global news stories are impacting our work on the ground. This series will consist of a monthly blog and include an audio version so that our supporters can listen to our updates on the go or settled with a cup of tea!

As part of the series, we are keen to hear from our supporters, so if you have any questions do get in touch by email and we will endeavour to include it as part of the next episode. Listen to our first episode below and please read on to discover some of the great achievements we have made with your wonderful support.

Recap of 2025

Responding to need in Southern Africa

In February, we responded to a major emergency in Southern Africa. Countries including Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe were experiencing the worst drought in 100 years, with states of emergency declared across the region. Thanks to your support, over £250,000 was raised for this emergency response, helping us act quickly when it was needed most. 

Since the beginning of 2024, Mary’s Meals has been working to expand our school feeding programmes in all four of these countries, and since then has been able to reach more than 530,000 additional children! 

Regular gifts making a difference

In April, we shared More than a Meal in Madagascar, followed by Mega Match May, which was an incredibly encouraging moment for our regular giving programme. During these months, new regular gifts were tripled, and existing regular givers who chose to increase their support saw those uplifts tripled for their first three payments. This resulted in 239 new regular givers, generating nearly £14,000, alongside 95 uplifts from existing supporters. 

Mega Match May highlighted the power of regular giving, in that it enables us to plan for the future because we know that income is secure, which in turn takes us one step closer to reaching four million children, and enables us to respond quickly when a crisis occurs. 

Our work in Madagascar, Ethiopia and Haiti

In June, we shared Walking Together - a 12-minute film exploring our work in Madagascar, one of our most remote and distinctive programme countries. The film looked at the ripple effect of school feeding, featuring stories from our partner organisation, Feedback Madagascar, and from the communities themselves. 

That same month, we also reflected on the 2024 Ethiopia Emergency Appeal, one year on from the crisis in Tigray. After two years of brutal conflict and ongoing drought, communities had faced devastating food shortages and the destruction of vital infrastructure. Thanks to your support during the 2024 appeal, we were able to triple our response in the region, and today we’re providing daily school meals to more than 245,000 children in Tigray, every school day.

We wanted to share a reflection from Abraha Bahlbi, Head of the School Feeding Programme at Daughters of Charity Tigray, our partner in Ethiopia. His words highlight the challenges children in Tigray continue to face as schools now begin to re-open. Hear also from Fortuna, whose school closed due to the conflict. She is now back in the classroom, learning and having fun with her friends, fuelled by a daily school meal.

In July, we turned our focus to food innovation in Haiti, highlighting the behind-the-scenes work that strengthens our school feeding programmes. By replacing imported beans with locally grown produce, we’ve been able to reduce emissions, support local farmers and their families, and move closer to long-term community ownership of school feeding. 

Reaching three million children

In September, we reached a major milestone, serving three million children every school day and was marked with a live webinar, which was attended and watched back by nearly 50 supporters. It was a meaningful moment to pause and reflect on just how far this movement has grown. The online event featured talks from Panji, our Country Director for Zambia, who discuss the realities of school feeding, the different types of problems the Zambia team must overcome and adapt to daily.

In November, we closed the year with Double the Love, unlocking £2.2 million in just one month. That level of generosity, in such a short space of time, was an incredible way to end the year and a powerful reminder of what’s possible when supporters come together.

We look forward to sharing next month's update soon – Why School Feeding Matters and What the Evidence Tells Us.