Mary’s Meals targeting 880 000 children in 2016

At least 880 000 primary school pupils in Malawi are expected to benefit  from Mary’s Meals International’s feeding programme in 2016

The organisation’s country director, Martin Swinchatt made the remarks in Blantyre on Wednesday as the organisation celebrated that it is now feeding over 1 035 000 children in 12 countries around the globe.

“Mary’s Meals started by feeding approximately 200 children at Chipini Primary School in Zomba. Thirteen years later, it is now celebrating feeding over 1 035 000 children in 12 countries around the globe.

“Amazingly, over 801 000 of these children are in Malawi – spanning 635 primary schools and 45 under six centres across 20 of Malawi’s 28 districts,” he explained.

Swinchatt said one year after introducing the programme, attendance rates in school have increased by 36 percent.

“The enormous strength of our school-feeding model rests in the fact that it is community-owned and community-managed. We work with 68 000 volunteers who prepare and serve the food on a daily basis – thanks to this remarkable spirit of volunteerism our current feeding rate is 98
percent,” he said.

Macfarlane-Barrow, who founded the project in Malawi, said Mary’s Meals remains committed towards the provision of ‘one nutritious daily meal to school-going children in their place of education.’

“More than ever, we need your help to enable us to continue to feed those children who are already receiving MMs and to support us in reaching the next child,” he said.