School meals are a vital safety net for families facing hunger in Tigray

In Tigray, Ethiopia, where Mary’s Meals feeds more than 245,000 children every school day, the effects of war and conflict are still being felt across the region. Although the civil war ended in 2022, renewed conflict and instability continue to limit households’ access to food and income, leaving many families vulnerable to hunger and poverty. 

For children and families across Tigray, a daily school meal is a source of hope. Our school feeding programme provides food, stability, and the opportunity for children to continue learning so that they can build a brighter future for themselves and their communities.  

How conflict and poverty have affected one family 

Kidan, a mother of three children, was widowed during the war that broke out in 2020 – which also meant the family lost their main provider. 

Since her husband’s death, Kidan has faced an uphill battle. Without a home of her own, she and her children live with her mother-in-law, trying to rebuild their lives while overcoming the burden of poverty and hunger.  

“After my husband died, I struggled to provide for my children. We had days when there was no food at home,” she says.  

“For a mother like me, the situation was desperate. We were forced to send my older daughter to work or sell items just to get money for food. But our economic situation remains fragile and the struggle is constant.” 

School meals reduce pressure on struggling families 

Kidan’s three children attend the local primary school where they eat Mary’s Meals every school day. This reduces the financial pressure on their mother and allows her meagre earnings to stretch that little bit further.  

Mary’s Meals provides a vital safety net for families like Kidan’s, enduring hardship caused by conflict and economic crisis. The promise of a daily school meal reassures parents that their children will eat today and frees up any income or food they might have at home to stretch a little further and meet other urgent needs.  

Making a difference for conflict-affected families through school meals 

For children in Tigray, regular and nourishing school meals are not just beneficial. They are vital for helping them to stay healthy, supporting them to stay in school and helping them to build resilience in the face of ongoing hardship. And, by bringing children into the safety of the classroom, school meals can also provide them with a sanctuary from the chaos around them where they can learn, play and simply be children.  

As conflict and crisis continue to disrupt children’s lives around the world, your donation will make the difference between a child struggling in the most devastating of circumstances and a child experiencing a sense of stability and normality through school meals. Just £19.15 will provide a child with food, stability, and hope for a whole school year.