Mary’s Meals has launched an urgent appeal to help feed millions of starving children in Southern Africa, as the worst drought in a century pushes the region towards catastrophe.
An estimated 21 million children across the region are malnourished following three consecutive failed harvests, with six countries already declaring a state of emergency.
The Scotland-based charity, which provides school meals to some of the world’s poorest children, is currently serving 1.5 million children in Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
With the crisis deepening, Mary’s Meals is calling for immediate action to expand its life-saving programme and ensure more children receive a daily meal in school.
Amoss, a 15-year-old pupil at Dzunga School in Malawi, speaks of the desperation many children face, saying:
“I worry about food all the time.
“I can’t learn without eating.
“You can’t do anything when you are hungry.”
The most recent planting season has also been disastrous, with rains arriving months too late, leaving crops to wither and die before they could mature.
Even the late January rains came too late to salvage the growing season, meaning the next harvest is predicted to be just as poor, deepening the crisis further.
Angela Chipeta-Khonje, Country Director for Mary’s Meals Malawi, warns that hunger is taking hold much earlier than usual, placing millions at risk.
“Crops have been wiped out across the region, leaving people hungry long before the usual ‘lean’ months.
“The impact is devastating in a region where 70 per cent of smallholder farmers rely on rain-fed agriculture for their livelihood.”
She estimates that in Malawi alone, 5.7 million people are facing food insecurity, with many already struggling to find their next meal.
Mary’s Meals provides a vital daily meal to more than one million of Malawi’s most vulnerable children, giving families reassurance that their children will receive at least one nutritious meal each day.
However, the need is growing fast, and the charity is urging supporters to help before the situation spirals into an even greater disaster.
Founded in the Scottish Highlands 23 years ago, Mary’s Meals now provides daily school meals to more than 2.4 million children across 16 of the world’s poorest countries.
These meals are a lifeline, drawing children into the classroom and giving them the energy to learn, breaking the cycle of poverty through education.
Angela Chipeta-Khonje emphasises that school meals are about more than just food, saying:
“Education is vital to the social and economic development of countries like Malawi.
“By offering a daily meal in a place of education, we are not just ensuring that children receive vital nutrition, but we are encouraging them to learn. Learning on an empty stomach is almost impossible.”
Mary’s Meals began in 2002 when founder Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow met a boy named Edward in Malawi who simply wished for “enough food to eat and to go to school one day.”
Today, Magnus is calling on people across the UK to help Mary’s Meals reach even more desperate children in need.
“We need to expand school feeding as fast as possible into areas of acute need across Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique,” he says.
“Our programme is owned by and embedded in local communities, equipping them to provide vital school meals for their children in an effective and sustainable way.”
Mary’s Meals operates on a low-cost model, feeding a child for just 10p a day.
With your help, more children can receive the nourishment they need to survive and thrive in the midst of this devastating drought.
To support Mary’s Meals and donate, visit marysmeals.org.uk/southern-africa
