Mary’s Meals adapts to feed more than one million hungry children every school day
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Charity Mary's Meals has said it will now provide meals for children at home, rather than in school, during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Highland-based charity said it will provide food for more than one million of the children who rely on its school feeding programme, despite the immense challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The charity usually serves its nutritious meals in schools, attracting children to the classroom where they can gain an education that will one day be their ladder out of poverty. With classrooms across the globe closed, it has quickly adapted to ensure these children can still receive Mary’s Meals.
With the agreement of the government and community leaders, Mary’s Meals’ volunteers are already distributing the charity’s food in villages in Kenya for parents to collect so their children can eat at home.
The food is distributed in ways that adhere to public health policies, and prioritise the safety of the communities, children and Mary’s Meals’ volunteers and staff. Work to mirror this approach is about to begin in Malawi and Zambia following agreement with government and community leaders in those countries.
Daniel Adams, UK executive director of Mary’s Meals, said: “All around the world, schools are closed and homes have become places of learning. This means we have had to find new ways to feed the children who eat Mary’s Meals – sometimes the only food they receive in a day.
“The coronavirus crisis presents extraordinarily difficult circumstances, but we are determined to keep our promise to the children who rely on Mary’s Meals. We have a long history of feeding children in the world’s most challenging environments. This has included delivering much-needed food during the time of the Ebola virus in Liberia and emergency feeding during famine in East Africa, as well as in conflict-hit South Sudan.”
A report published last week by the UN warned that around 265 million people are forecast to be facing acute food insecurity by the end of this year, a doubling of the 130 million estimated to suffer severe food shortages in 2019.
Many of the countries predicted to be worst affected are those in which Mary’s Meals is working.
Mr Adams continues: “At a time when people in the UK are also facing many challenges, we are so grateful for everything our supporters are doing to ensure the children we feed can grow up strong and healthy. It is thanks to their kindness and generosity that this mission can continue, even amidst the most uncertain of times.”
Mary’s Meals feeds children in 19 of the world’s poorest countries. New approaches have already been agreed for India and Haiti, and the charity is having urgent discussions with governments and community leaders in other countries to find safe ways to feed children at this time.
To find out more or to donate visit marysmeals.org.uk.
