​Charity is feeding more children than ever before

Mary’s Meals has supported an additional 43,000 children since last September, the Argyle-based charity has announced.

The charity is now reaching 1,230,171 of the world’s poorest children with a nutritious daily meal in school.

It provides support to impoverished communities across four continents, setting up community-run school feeding programmes that encourage children – who may otherwise be forced to work, beg or forage for food – to come to school and receive a meal that helps them to concentrate on their studies.

Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, Mary’s Meals’ founder and chief executive, said: “The wonderful news that we are now reaching these children with Mary’s Meals is thanks to the amazing efforts of our supporters and volunteers around the world who – by sharing their time, money, skills and prayer – allow us to keep our promise of a daily school meal to little ones in desperate need.”

Across famine-hit South Sudan – where a brutal civil war continues to rage – and drought-stricken Kenya, more than 46,000 children have the certainty of receiving one good meal every school day at this desperate time.

More than ever, Mary’s Meals is not only a powerful incentive to come to the classroom, it is a vital lifeline for these vulnerable children in desperate need of nourishment.

With millions across East Africa on the brink of starvation, Mary’s Meals recently launched an East Africa Emergency Appeal to help lessen the devastating impact of the crisis.

Moses Kopurot Kenyi, who works for Mary’s Meals’ partner organisation in South Sudan, said: “Most of the children here are so malnourished and they have a lot of challenges.

“To keep them in school, we need to provide the Mary’s Meals feeding programme. Without any meals, there will definitely be a very poor future for South Sudan. We thank Mary’s Meals and we thank those who are helping Mary’s Meals.”