mary's meals extra - issue 9

eexxttrraae-magazine for mary’s meals

supportersIssue no 9- March 2011

AA MMiilleessttoonnee ffoorr MMaarryy’’ss MMeeaallss!!

wweellccoommeeWelcome to the spring issue of Mary’s Meals Extra, ourquarterly e-bulletin designed for supporters who would likeregular news updates from Mary’s Meals. It is aimedparticularly at those who fundraise and spread the wordabout our work.

Please feel free to photocopy, use or republish any of thecontents if you think they would be useful to spread the wordabout Mary’s Meals.

You can also keep up to date with our news and updates bysigning up to our Facebook and Twitter pages atwww.facebook.com/marysmeals andwww.twitter.com/marysmeals and our websitewww.marysmeals.org

IInn tthhiiss iissssuueeWe have recently celebrated the fact that Mary’s Meals isfeeding more than 500,000 children. This has only beenmade possible through your continued support – thank you!You can read more about this and see some of the imagesshowing children around the world celebrating this fantasticmoment.

For an update on the number of children we are feeding in 16different countries, please have a look at our key figures onpage 2. In this issue, you can read about how a couple’sjourney from Germany brought huge smiles to the faces of somany children in Liberia, and for the couple Ursula and Karl-Heinz Schwarz, gave them lasting memories. For more insightinto daily life in Liberia, you can read an interview with EmmaTurner, Mary’s Meals Programme Officer.

We were delighted to have international celebrity AnnieLennox recently visit our school feeding project in Malawi.Farhanna Ismail, our communications officer in Malawi, whomet Annie and showed her around our project, talks aboutwhat it was like rubbing shoulders with a super star and theimpact our project had on Annie.

Thank you again for your continued support and please keepyour stories and pictures coming! We would love to hear whatyou have been up to at [email protected]

MMaarryy’’ss MMeeaallss CCoommmmuunniiccaattiioonn TTeeaamm

mary’s meals extra e-magazine for supporters page 1

CCoonntteennttssKKeeyy ffiigguurreessAAnnnniiee LLeennnnooxx iinn MMaallaawwii550000,,000000 cchhiillddrreennBBaacckkppaacckk AAddvveennttuurreeLLiibbeerriiaa QQ && AAIInnddiiaa’’ss RRaaiillwwaayy CChhiillddrreennSSuuee PPeerrkkiinnss ccaauusseess aa ssttiirr!!FFuunnddrraaiissiinngg NNeewwssTTeenn WWaayyss ttoo HHeellpp OOnnlliinnee

KKeeyy FFiigguurreess

Number of children receiving a daily meal in their

place of education in 2011

Albania - 356Bosnia - 24

Burma - 338Ecuador - 187

Haiti – 15,009India – 3,893

Kenya – 18,129Liberia – 27,225

Malawi - 450,783Philippines – 2,000

Romania - 31Sudan – 3,416Thailand - 642

Uganda – 3,651Ukraine - 445Zambia - 410

total = 526,539

Total number of childrenreceiving a daily meal inschool = 526,539

Average cost of Mary’sMeals per child per year= £9.40 / €11 / $15

Cost of Mary’s Meals perchild, per year in Malawi= £6.15/€7.20/$10

Worldwide cost per meal= 4 pence / 5 cents(Euros) and 6.5 cents (US)

Cost per meal in Malawi = 3 pence / 3.5 cents(Euros) and 5 cents (US)

Number of backpackssent overseas in 2011 = 16,433


PPrroojjeecctt NNeewwss


““Mary’s Meals is making a difference to thelives of hundreds of thousands of childrenin Malawi. The cup of porridge the charitysupplies not only encourages children toattend school, it also provides enoughnutrition to help them focus in class. I wasencouraged and impressed by what I saw.”

Annie Lennox in Malawi

When we heard the international star Annie Lennox wasvisiting our Mary’s Meals projects here in Malawi, the officewas extremely excited. It’s not an everyday occurrence forhigh profile celebrities to visit Malawi and our Mary’s Mealsoffices, so this was a real treat. We started planning almostimmediately.

The plan was to provide Annie - yes I’m saying Anniebecause I did spend a fair bit of time with her - with somebackground on Mary’s Meals and a presentation, followedby a visit to Phuti school in Lilongwe.

It’s quite true when they say the best laid plans always fallapart. As country director Joe Gribben and I were drivingdown from Blantyre to Lilongwe, we received a textmessage to say that the schedule had been changed.

As soon as we arrived into Lilongwe, we rushed to TheSunbird hotel for a meeting. We found the group secludedin an alcove listening raptly as Abeer MacIntyre, Mary'sMeals Head of Supporter Care, introduced Mary's Meals.It was a more welcoming and less intimidating way to firstmeet Annie Lennox and the Scottish Parliament’s PresidingOfficer Alex Ferguson. Over tea we all enjoyed a leisurelychat and discussed how our programme works in Malawi.

Annie Lennox was very friendly and approachable and verykeen to hear about Mary’s Meals. One aspect that she was

Tea and Mary’s Meals with Annie LennoxBByy FFaarrhhaannnnaa IIssmmaaiill,, MMaarryy’’ss MMeeaallss CCoommmmuunniiccaattiioonnss OOffffiicceerr iinn MMaallaawwii

particularly impressed with was that we were not a charitythat simply asked people to place their hands in theirpocket for money. Instead, supporters can help the Mary’sMeals movement in a variety of ways including donations,prayer, time and skills.

The next morning, we met the group again and theyfollowed us to the school. This was Annie Lennox and thePresiding Officer’s first trip to Malawi and they were quiteeager to see the ‘real’ Malawi.

We followed a dusty, rocky, bumpy road for 25 minutes,passing some villages, lots of maize fields and mangotrees. When we approached the school, Annie jumped outand was met with a warm welcome from our volunteers intruly Malawian style. She eagerly joined in to sway alongwith the singing and dancing volunteers.

Once this welcome was over, Annie met with Mary’s MealsMalawi staff member Peter Mawere who gave her a guidedtour of our feeding programme. We had arrived at theschool at just the right moment. The children were waitingto be given their cups of likuni phala. After the volunteershad shown Annie how they filled the children’s cups, shehelped dish out the porridge. She also joined in and sangwith the volunteers. She laughingly learnt the Chichewawords the women were singing.


Annie Lennox with Mary’s Meals Volunteers in Malawi


Above - Annie with pupils from St Mirin’s School in GlasgowBelow - Annie with Mary’s Meals volunteers and Presiding Officer, Alex Ferguson

Annie was quite dismayed when the line of children ofended and she had no more children to dish outporridge for with a startled ‘oh where did the childrengo!’

On trying the porridge herself, she approved andcommented “it just needs some more salt”. ThePresiding Officer said the exact same thing and weconcluded it must be a Scottish thing!

After the younger children had been served, it was timeto interact with the older children who were still in class.The Presiding Officer and Annie Lennox had a treat forthe children - they had brought letters from St Mirin'sSchool in Glasgow.

The children were ecstatic to receive them and werelooking forward to replying. Annie and the PresidingOfficer listened to them read their letters aloud. Anniealso talked to the class and asked them what theythought about the programme and what they liked.Students talked about the benefits of the likuni phalaand the lovely gift of the back packs.

Before we knew it class was over and it was time to meetthe 47 village heads who had come to show their respectand meet the guests who had honoured them bychoosing to visit Phuti School.

After a two hour visit our guests had to leave. With thechildren and the volunteers surrounding them we allwalked to their cars. To remember their time with Mary’sMeals in Malawi, I handed them the Mary’s Meals clothand T-shirt, then we waved them off.

It was a memorable day for the school and the Mary’sMeals members of staff. It’s a great experience to hearabout Mary’s Meals from another person’s perspectiveand to see that it really does work every single time.

Just weeks after her trip to Malawi, Annie Lennox visited the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh to tell MSPs about her visit toMalawi and her experience of Mary's Meals.

“Mary’s Meals is making a difference to the lives of hundreds ofthousands of children in Malawi," she said. "The cup of porridgethe charity supplies not only encourages children to attendschool, it also provides enough nutrition to help them focus inclass. I was encouraged and impressed by what I saw there.”

Annie accompanied Alex Fergusson, the Presiding Officer of theScottish Parliament, on the visit and made a video report abouther trip, which you can see online at hhttttpp::////vviimmeeoo..ccoomm//2211110077778866

Children from St Mirin's Primary School in Glasgow came to parliament to meet Annie, and she gave them letters that shehad brought back for them from children at Phuti School, theMary's Meals project she visited in Lilongwe.

Annie tells the Scottish Parliament about Mary's Meals

SSttiillll ffrroomm tthhee sshhoorrtt ffiillmm aabboouutt AAnnnniiee LLeennnnooxx iinn MMaallaawwii


MMaarryy''ss MMeeaallssfeeding550000,,000000 ++In February, we announced that Mary's Meals isfeeding more than half a million children. As you cansee from the Key Figures page of Mary's Meals Extra,that figure is now 526,539. We hope that, with yourhelp and support, that figure will keep going up foras long as school feeding programmes are needed.

We shared our news with children who receiveMary's Meals in our project countries, andchallenged them to take photos of themselvesmarking the milestone. You can see their efforts -and those of children in the UK - in these picturesand in our new 'Feeding 500,000' poster which is ondisplay in our shops and offices.

We were also pleased to see recognition of the figureacross the media, including on CNN and in TheTelegraph and on BBC Online. You can read some ofthe coverage at the links below.

The Telegraph - Telegraph campaign helps feedHaitian children http://bit.ly/gS0Mpi

BBC Online - Charity feeding 500000 childrenhttp://bbc.in/huvUmx

CNN - Mary's Meals reaches milestonehttp://on.fb.me/g9sZRd

The Herald - Charity is feeding 500,000http://bit.ly/h3JKXq


Above - Children from Uganda and Romania celebrateBelow - Children in Malawi holding sign for 500,000


COUPLE’S UNFORGETTABLE BACKPACK ADVENTUREUUrrssuullaa aanndd KKaarrll--HHeeiinnzz OOffeerr rreefflleecctt oonn tthheeiirr vviissiitt ttoo LLiibbeerriiaa wwhheerree tthheeyy hheellppeedd ttoo sspprreeaadd jjooyy aammoonngg ppuuppiillss bbyyddeelliivveerriinngg bbaacckkppaacckkss tthheeyy wweerree iinnvvoollvveedd iinn ccoolllleeccttiinngg iinn GGeerrmmaannyy..

Our journey to Liberia came about after Ursula Schwarz in Mainz,a friend of our daughter, was looking for helpers for Mary’s MealsBackpack Project. The request came at exactly the right momentfor myself and husband Karl-Heinz. Karl-Heinz had just retiredfrom business and was looking for a new challenge. As a formerteacher, I immediately agreed to help collecting backpacks forAfrica. It wasn’t long before our desire to get more involved grew.

We wanted to witness the backpacks arriving for the Africanchildren. We wanted to be able to answer the questions ofGerman people concerning contents and delivery of the donatedbackpacks. ‘Why don’t we go there?’, we thought. Our adventurebegan. We reached Mary’s Meals compound at Tubmanburg onthe 1st of December 2010 in the middle of the night and werewelcomed by Mary’s Meals staff who took us on a three hourdrive in the dark.

Next morning we were allowed to go along with the backpacks totwo schools, which is what we had been waiting for. We foundourselves sitting beside the chief driver Abraham in a 20-year-oldpick up driving along a road which would have been forbidden inGermany. Finally we reached a small village with a school and afew children outside. When they saw our truck carrying big whitesacks, they ran into the schoolhouse, screaming with excitementand then we heard unbelievable cries of joy coming from thebuilding.

When we got closer, the teachers came out and the childrenbecame silent, looking at us with big eyes full of anticipation.After being welcomed by the Principal we were guided into everyclassroom and the local director of Mary’s Meals introduced us.He requested the children to come to school every day and tolearn, learn, learn - perhaps to become president of Liberia oneday (!) - and to please those German people, who gave them thebackpacks as a gift.

I said some sentences in English and asked the children if theywould sing a song for us. They did, and we enjoyed their song fullof joy, faith and liveliness. We made them laugh and clap handsby singing “Ya ya yippie yippie yeh…”by ourselves. After that thebig white sacks were brought in and opened and we started tohand the backpacks out to the children. We will never forget thefaces of the children when they got a backpack – they looked atus with eyes wide open as if they couldn’t believe whathappened to them. And a smile appeared.

When everybody was provided with a backpack the teacherasked them to raise their bags and say “Thank you” to thevisitors and to Mary’s Meals. They did so as loud as they could.The teachers then took our hands and told us: “Please tellGerman people that we are very, very grateful and that thebackpacks are very important for us and that we appreciateeverything inside!” And that this day would be a little bit likeChristmas. For that day the lessons were finished. In theschoolyard we watched some children looking into their bags,and when they noticed us they beamed with joy. Some cameover to shake hands with us and say ‘thank you’.

Next step was a visit to the ‘kitchen’ where three mothersprepared the meals. This was an open hut with two fireplacesmade of three big stones and two big pots . We were allowed tolook into them and admire the rice and the soup made with okraand green potato leaves. Small bowls waited for the children,and now we understood how important the tablespoons are inthe backpacks.

The staff of Mary’s Meals in Liberia is doing very good work.They don’t just distribute the backpacks, they also bring rice andother food to 112 schools every month. They have to pass roadswhich seem impassable. Both men and cars have to givemaximum power. We also visited Oscar Romero School for deafchildren which is part of the Mary’s Meals compound atTubmanburg.

We are sure that those 65 boys and girls would have no futurewithout the help of Mary’s Meals.Now they learn how to read andto write and to use sign language. They enjoyed our visit andlaughed a lot looking at the pictures of our grandchildren Ishowed to them. We attended their morning prayer on our lastday and we were moved to tears watching a girl praying for us insign language! Pinky, the vice principal of the school, translatedher words into English. By the way, Pinky has a sweet little four-month-old son, whose name is Magnus!

We are deeply grateful for our unforgettable time in Liberia andhighly motivated for the next Mary’s Meals backpack project inGermany.

HHeellpp ffrroomm tthhee HHaarrmmaattttaann

literally nothing and revive and build thousands of newschools. Things are finally becoming more organised, butprogress can only continue in peaceful times.

CCaann yyoouu ddeessccrriibbee aa MMaarryy''ss MMeeaallss sscchhooooll iinn LLiibbeerriiaa??Moussa Toure is a school that I always enjoy visiting. Whileit is slightly chaotic and often very loud, the children arealways full of life and obviously really enjoy being atschool. It is just outside the town of Klay on the main roadto the capital city Monrovia.

It is a small school, half made of concrete and half of mudand sticks with just over 100 pupils. There are no windows,just big gaping holes in the wall. There are many morechildren than seats and the only teaching materials aresome broken and worn out blackboards. Despite all of this,every time I visit this school the children are packed intothe tiny classrooms. Last time I was there the smallerchildren were learning "honky donkey" which it turns out isa slightly lost in translation Liberian version of humptydumpty!

WWhhaatt ddoo cchhiillddrreenn iinn LLiibbeerriiaa eeaatt ffoorr tthheeiirr MMaarryy’’ss MMeeaallss??A Mary’s Meal in Liberia is a bowl of rice with a spicyvegetable sauce and some fish, which is a typical Liberianmeal. The cooks are mothers of the school children.Normally they work on a rotation and change on a dailybasis. They lovingly prepare and serve it to the childrenevery school day.

WWhhaatt iiss tthhee wweeaatthheerr lliikkee iinn LLiibbeerriiaa nnooww??It is consistently hot and humid in Liberia whatever the time ofday or year! However it is the start of the dry season at themoment which brings the Harmattan (a dust wind off the SaharaDesert) which cools the air at night time. The transition betweenthe seasons sadly seems to lead to a significant increase incases of malaria.

The dry season is an active time for Liberia as during the rain itbecomes incredibly hard to move around due to flooded roadsand bridges and many businesses and markets tend to close. Inaddition the humidity rarely drops below 80% which makes it anexhausting and uncomfortable climate to work in, particularlyoutdoors. Most Liberians (and expats) prefer the dry season asalthough slightly hotter and more intense sun it is much easierto get work done.

WWhhaatt aarree tthhee bbiiggggeesstt iissssuueess aanndd cchhaalllleennggeess tthhaatt ppeeooppllee ffaaccee aatt tthhee mmoommeenntt??This is an election year which brings a degree of tension andanxiousness, particularly with the worsening situation inneighboring Cote D’Ivoire. There is a lot of excitement aroundthe election with the current President and other candidates outand about rallying and campaigning. I witnessed people turningout in their thousands to register to vote in the capital city andthe general feeling is that everything will run smoothly.

One of the biggest challenges people often talk about isremembering how far Liberia has come since the war. It is easy to get frustrated when there is still no electricity and a very weakinfrastructure, but seven years of peace has meant that thecountry has been able to rebuild an education sector from

EEmmmmaa TTuurrnneerr,, MMaarryy''ss MMeeaallss PPrrooggrraammmmee OOffffiicceerr,, rreeppoorrttss ffrroomm oouurr ffiieelldd ooffffiiccee iinn TTuubbmmaannbbuurrgg,, LLiibbeerriiaa..


KKeeeeppiinngg lleeaarrnniinngg oonn ttrraacckk

Mary's Meals has been involved in a project supportingchildren from the railway slums of Kolkata, India, for almost ayear.

In March, we received a letter and photographs from Sister Lizy,who runs the project. She told us of the difference that Mary'sMeals was already making to her pupils.

"These children are very poor, some of them don't even haveone proper meal a day," she wrote. "With the help of Mary'sMeals we are able to give them a nutritious meal each day atnoon and we can see the difference in their studies andbehaviour.

Around 100 girls are supported at the project. Many of themlive in shacks constructed from make-shift materials along therailway line and work as rag-pickers or caring for their youngerbrothers and sisters.

When they started at school, the girls were unused to theroutine and stability of regular lessons, but they have quicklyadapted, as Sister Lizy explained. "They are now regular inattending the classes and their health status has improved.Their parents are very happy."


Children lliving in the Railway Slums

FFuunnddrraaiissiinngg NNeewwss


““I eat porridge most days, I just take it forgranted, but half way around the world it isa life-transforming food”

Sue Perkins

SSuuee PPeerrkkiinnss ccaauusseess aa ssttiirrAA TTVV pprreesseenntteerr aanndd aa cchhaammppiioonn ppoorrrriiddggee mmaakkeerr jjooiinneeddffoorrcceess wwiitthh MMaarryy’’ss MMeeaallss ttoo hheellpp ffeeeedd ssoommee ooff tthheewwoorrlldd’’ss hhuunnggrriieesstt cchhiillddrreenn..

Sue Perkins, known for her appearance in the ‘Supersizers’series, and cook Anna Louise Batchelor, a winner at the WorldPorridge-making Championships, were filmed creating sevendishes featuring porridge - the meal given to children at Mary'sMeals' projects in Malawi.

The recipes and films were created by See the Difference, anonline initiative that helps charities raise awareness through film,and were show on Facebook, helping to raise money for a schoolfeeding project in Balaka, Malawi. Sue said: “I eat porridge mostdays, I just take it for granted, but half way around the world it isa life-transforming food. Mary’s Meals’ very specific remit is tofeed children so they are full and able to study. What they do onone level is incredibly simple, but on another level quiteprofound. Education is the greatest gift you can give a child.”

See the Difference hopes that the recipes will encourage manysupporters to make a donation towards feeding all the children attheir sponsored school, in the Balaka region of Malawi, for a year.

Find out more at www.marysmeals.org and watch SuePerkins talk about why she supports Mary's Meals atwww.seethedifference.org

DDrriivveerrss mmaakkee aa ddiiffffeerreenncceeAA ccllaassssiicc ccaarr ttoouurr ffeeaattuurriinngg JJaagguuaarrss,, TTrriiuummpphhss,,BBeennttlleeyyss aanndd aa CCiittrrooeenn 22CCVV,, wwiillll ssttoopp ooffff iinnDDaallmmaallllyy,, tthhee hhoommee ooff MMaarryy''ss MMeeaallss,, oonn AApprriill 1177tthh..

The event, raising money for Mary's Meals and StrathcarronHospice, sees 60 vehicles complete a circuit of some of Scotland'smost scenic countryside, taking in a hill climb and stops at twocastles. Organised by Strathendrick Rotary Club, the tour takesplace on 'Drive it Day', a national celebration of classic cars.

"We think we have a cracker organised for this year covering thelochs and glens of Argyll and the optional opportunity to drive upthe classic Rest and Be Thankful Hill Climb," said Joe Norman, theorganiser. Starting at the Beech Tree in in Dumgoyne, the tourstops at Inverary and Culcreuch castles. Vehicles are expected toarrive at the auction mart check point in Dalmally between 1:30and 3pm.

MMaarrkkeedd mmeennTThhee ccyycclliisstt MMaarrkk BBeeaauummoonntt ccaammee ffaaccee ttoo ffaacceewwiitthh aannootthheerr ssppoorrttiinngg MMaarrkk BBeeaauummoonntt tthhiissmmoonntthh -- aanndd sswwaappppeedd hhiiss hhaannddlleebbaarrss ffoorr aa rraacckkeettttoo ssuuppppoorrtt MMaarryy’’ss MMeeaallss..

The round-the-world cyclist took on Mark Beaumont, asquash coach, in a game of racketball at Bell’s SportsCentre in Perth.

“Mark’s Match” was part of the Great Big RacketballChallenge, a fundraising drive organised by ScottishSquash and Racketball, to support Mary’s Meals andinspire people come up with their own active plans to raisemoney for the charity.

Mark said: “Encouraging people to raise money for Mary’sMeals whilst playing racketball is fantastic.”And the winner? It was Mark Beaumont, of course.


TThhee iinntteerrnneett iiss aa ggrreeaatt wwaayy ttoo sspprreeaadd tthhee nneewwss ooff MMaarryy’’ss MMeeaallss,, pprroommoottee eevveennttss aanndd sshhaarree ssttoorriieess.. HHeerree aarree ssoommee iiddeeaass ttoo ggeett yyoouu ssttaarrtteedd!!

11.. Join us on Facebook www.facebook.com/marysmeals and invite all your friends to the pagetoo. You’ll find photos, news and fundraising ideas.

22.. Re-tweet our Twitter updates @marysmeals and mention us in your own.

33.. Use sites such as www.justgiving.com or www.virginmoneygiving.com to raise money for yoursponsored events. You can even ask people to donate money to Mary’s Meals for your a birthday,wedding or special occasion.

44.. Sign up to this e-bulletin to receive updates and stories every quarter.

55.. Use a Mary’s Meals e-card to send greetings to friends on special occasions.

66.. If you write a blog, please mention Mary’s Meals, and please include a link to our website.

77.. You don’t need to give a penny extra to donate whilst you shop throughwww.easyfundraising.org.uk. Amazon, ebay, Debenhams, Tesco and other outlets make acontribution to your chosen charity when you buy from them.

88.. Add your own events to our fundraising calendar on the website and get inspiration fromothers’ ideas. Email events to [email protected].

99.. Show off. Use the internet to tell people about your Mary's Meals activities. If you're at anevent, post the video or photos online, or why not conduct a phone interview with participantsand create a 'phlog' via http://www.ipadio.com

1100.. Watch our videos on http://www.vimeo.com/marysmeals orhttp://www.youtube.com/marysmeals and if you enjoy them, share with friends.

10WWaayyss TToo HHeellpp MMaarryy’’ss MMeeaallss

OOnnlliinnee


wwhhoo aarree wwee??IInn ccaassee yyoouu aarree rreeaaddiinngg tthhiiss wwiitthhoouutt aannyy pprriioorr kknnoowwlleeddggeeooff tthhee cchhaarriittyy aanndd wwoonnddeerr wwhhoo wwee aarree,, hheerree iiss aa bbrriieeffssuummmmaarryy .. .. ..

Mary’s Meals is a movement to set up school feeding projects incommunities where poverty and hunger block children from gainingan education. This movement is administered by the charity ScottishInternational Relief (SIR). SIR came into being during the Bosnianconflict in 1992. Two brothers, Magnus and Fergus MacFarlane-Barrow, were so moved by the scenes on TV that they decided toorganize an appeal for blankets and food in their local area, Argyll, Scotland.

They quickly gathered a jeep load and joined one of the convoysleaving the UK and delivered the aid to Medjugorje in Bosnia, a placeof international pilgrimage they had visited with their family yearspreviously. Believing their good deed done they returned to Scotlandexpecting to resume their jobs as fish farmers. However they camehome to discover the public had carried on donating aid in theirabsence filling their parents' garage with goods. Magnus decided togive up his job for a year to drive the aid out for as long as the publickept donating. The public did not stop and it soon became necessaryto set up a registered charity.

The charity began to work in Romania, building homes forabandoned children, and in Liberia, helping returning refugees bysetting up mobile clinics, while continuing to deliver material aid toCroatia and Bosnia. In 2002 Magnus met a family in Malawi that ledto a whole new area of work. The mother was dying of AIDS and lyingon the floor of her hut surrounded by her 6 young children

When Magnus asked her oldest son what he hoped for in life, hisstark reply was, 'To have enough to eat and to go to school one day,"This encounter prompted the campaign, Mary's Meals, that aims tohelp children like this by providing a meal a day in school. In thisway the children are encouraged to gain the education that can liftthem out of poverty in later life.

This simple but effective idea has gathered momentum and todayprovides daily meals for over 500,000 of the world’s poorest children.Our headquarters is still situated in the grounds of Craig Lodge,Argyll, but support groups are springing up around the world.

Mary’s Meals HQ Craig Lodge, DalmallyIn Scotland


oouurr vviissiioonnIs that all those who have more than

they need, share with those who lack even the most basic things, and that

every child receives one daily meal in their place of education

MMaarryyss MMeeaallss iissaaddmmiinniisstteerreeddtthhrroouugghh SSccoottttiisshhIInntteerrnnaattiioonnaall RReelliieeff

AA ccoommppaannyy lliimmiitteedd bbyy gguuaarraanntteeee..CCooyy NNoo.. SSCC226655994411 RReeggiisstteerreedd CChhaarriittyy SSCCOO2222114400

CCrraaiigg llooddggee,, DDaallmmaallllyy,, AArrggyyllll,, PPAA3333 11AARR TTeell:: ++4444 ((00))11883388220000660055 EEmmaaiill:: iinnffoo@@mmaarryyssmmeeaallss..oorrgg

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mary's meals extra - issue 9

Documents

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marys meals supportersissue

marys meals isfeeding

cost of marys meals

marys meals programme

spring issue of marys

supporters page

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