Mary's Meals is reaching three million children around the world
Today we celebrate three million smiles across the globe
A smile is a universal expression of happiness and hope. It is also synonymous with Mary’s Meals. A smiling child receiving their daily school meal, a parent knowing their child has eaten, or a teacher who is confident their pupils are getting the most out of their time in class. They share their smiles every day, reminding us of what our school meals mean to them.
With Mary’s Meals now serving more than three million children every school day, we all have another reason to smile. This is a remarkable moment and one we are proud of. It was made possible by a significant expansion of our programme during the first half of 2025, with an additional 462,000 children receiving a daily school meal.
Mary’s Meals Founder, Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, explains that we committed to the expansion because the need for a reliable school feeding programme in countries most affected by hunger and poverty is as urgent as ever.
He says: "When we first began serving Mary’s Meals in one small primary school in Malawi back in 2003, we could never have imagined that this work would grow into a global movement now serving 3 million children every school day.
"And yet, at the same time, when we see how this simple, inexpensive intervention is helping to transform some of the world’s poorest communities we have an urgent desire for it to grow faster – and a belief that it can.
"This work has grown the way it has because all over the world people of goodwill are sharing a little of what they have so that children can eat and go to school, thus gaining an education that can set them free from poverty. We see that each time local volunteers begin to serve our school meals, using locally sourced food, hope enters in. Children begin attending school for the first time, because of the promise of a meal. And those who were previously too hungry to concentrate in class are now able to learn."
School meals that make a difference
Not only do we believe our work must continue to grow, our research shows that our low-cost model is delivering high-impact results. Our annual impact studies show that 74% of children felt hungry before Mary’s Meals were served. This dropped to 1% once they had eaten their daily school meal. And 75% of pupils who eat Mary’s Meals said they never left early during the school day because of hunger.
In schools where our daily meals are served, hunger is reduced, enrolment increases, attendance improves, drop-out rates fall, absences dwindle, concentration in lessons is heightened, and participation levels increase.
Tanaka attends Gonye Primary School in Zimbabwe’s Matabeleland North Province. In 2024, her community was hit by a severe drought and food became scarce. She tells us she felt a “sense of relief and lightness” when she learned Mary’s Meals was coming to her school. The impact was immediate and has continued in the months after. Thanks to a daily bowl of nutritious porridge, Tanaka’s concentration has improved, and she has the energy to participate in lessons.
The drought made school a real struggle. But since the school feeding programme started, I've noticed a huge difference. School has become more manageable. My focus and concentration have improved dramatically.
Bringing hope to some of the world’s poorest communities
What’s special about Mary’s Meals is that the programme is owned and run by local communities, with food sourced locally wherever possible, to support the economy. Our school meals give hope to the communities that help to deliver our programme, as they believe education is the key to a better future.
Nyambi in southern Malawi is one community where earlier this year children began eating nutritious porridge at the local school, Namingwere Primary.
Louis Yahaya, the village’s senior chief, explains: “This community is very remote. People are struggling terribly. So many parents here today do not have food in their homes. Most families go to sleep without having eaten that day. For a household to achieve anything, they need food.
My dream is that the children of this community will get an education and to be productive members of society. Mary’s Meals bringing this initiative is a first step to achieving this dream.
Watch the first day of Mary’s Meals at Namingwere Primary
Reaching the next child
Our success is thanks to the people who support and believe in our work as much as we do. Local volunteers, who make it possible for our programme to run by giving their time to prepare and serve the meals; our trusted partners, who help us deliver school feeding in areas we would otherwise be unable to reach; and the millions of supporters who share what they can—money, time, skills, and prayer—so children facing poverty can eat a much-needed meal every school day.
Yet, even as we reach this important moment, millions of children around the world are still in need of Mary’s Meals. Calling for support to help us reach the next million hungry children waiting for our life-changing meals, Magnus says:
"The sad reality is that tens of millions of children remain hungry and out of school. This very day - in a world in which we produce more than enough food for us all - thousands of children will die of hunger-related causes. And yet it costs Mary’s Meals around 10p to serve one meal, and less that £20 to feed a child for a whole school year.
"And so, this landmark is less a celebration than it is a call to action. We invite every person of goodwill to join the Mary’s Meals movement so that our vision – that every child in this world receives one daily meal in their place of education – might be realised."
It costs just 10p a day to feed a child with Mary’s Meals, and £19.15 to provide a child with our nutritious daily meals for a whole school year. If you’re able, can you give a donation today to transform another child’s life?
