Mary's Meals

A daily meal in school is essential for growing children but the impact can ripple much further out into the wider community. Read more about how the introduction of Mary’s Meals at one school in Madagascar has also dramatically changed the life of one of the parents.

World Refugee Day is a day that highlights the bravery of people forced to uproot themselves when they can no longer live in the place they call home and underlines the human right to seek safety.

The war in Ukraine is tearing lives and livelihoods apart in villages, towns and cities across the country, with little sign of relief for its beleaguered people. And around the world, people of every nation are already feeling the ripple effects of the devastation in their own day-to-day lives. Hunger is the biggest concern for an increasing number of families.

The war in Ukraine is tearing lives and livelihoods apart in villages, towns and cities across the country, with little sign of relief for its beleaguered people. And around the world, people of every nation are already feeling the ripple effects of the devastation in their own day-to-day lives. Hunger is the biggest concern for an increasing number of families.

Three Mary’s Meals volunteers with one shared goal tell their stories.

Long-standing Mary’s Meals volunteer, Marija, shares her Mary’s Meals journey and recounts a chance encounter with a man from Haiti who once ate Mary’s Meals at school which left a lasting impression on her.

This World Environment Day, we are sharing four ways our incredible partners are working to protect the environment.

Since 2018, Mary's Meals has been working with a local partner to provide nutritious meals to vulnerable children being held in five detention centres and one re-integration centre across Madagascar.

This World Hunger Day, we are celebrating a garden project at a school in Zambia, fuelling pupils with fresh and nutritious vegetables and teaching them valuable skills for the future.

Watch Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, Founder of Mary’s Meals, reflect on 20 years of Mary’s Meals from the Shed in Dalmally, Scotland – the place where it all began.

Caring for others is instinctive for Grandma Alice, a mother of six in Zambia who lives with her husband and five grandchildren and still finds time to volunteer for Mary’s Meals.

On International Day of Families, one family in Zimbabwe relays how the introduction of school feeding will ease the strain on their daily life.

Mary’s Meals joins forces with a new partner in Zimbabwe, ORAP, allowing us to reach even more children in areas where food is scarce.

Together with our local partner organisation, Fundación Cristo Misionero Orante, Mary's Meals has been serving children in Ecuador since 2010 where we currently reach 360 children.

With a fire beneath her placid surface, this young girl in Zambia sets her sights on her future.

For 13-year-old Natasha, attending school and gaining an education means the hope of a better life.

This 13-year-old spends most of her time alone and doing chores. School, and Mary’s Meals, provide a welcome respite of companionship and nourishment.

In 2002, Mary’s Meals made a promise to the world’s most vulnerable children to provide nutritious daily meals in places of education.

15-year-old Nohe* tells of his traumatic journey from the outbreak of war in Tigray to becoming captain of his displacement camp’s football team.

We speak with the founder of Feedback Madagascar about climate change's disastrous effects on an already struggling nation.

Times are tough for girls in Uganda, but 16-year-old Mercy is full of determination and hope for her future, de- spite the realities.

As the bloodshed continues and the number of displaced Ethiopians surges, a Mary’s Meals funded programme to provide education, a semblance of normality, and create safe spaces for women and children living in temporary camps gets underway.

Mary’s Meals are firmly back on the menu in schools in India after two years of severe Covid restrictions and closures

With the 2 million milestone still fresh in our minds from September 2021, our work has not stopped. We continue to grow, expanding our programmes in the countries we serve, and adding new programmes in other parts of the world.

Poachers are being rewarded for conserving, rather than killing, wildlife in Zambia with a circular economy initiative that feeds hungry children while incentivising legitimate livelihoods.

Exam pass rates soar as meals drive success in schools.

One in three people around the world lack handwashing facilities at home. That’s 2.3 billion people who are without access to soap and water in their day-to-day lives.

One boy’s longing for learning over guns in South Sudan.

The Power of Porridge. "Porridge fills my stomach and gives me energy.". At Mary’s Meals, our community run school feeding programs were born from the belief that every child deserves an education and enough to eat. We often talk about the positive benefits a daily school meal in a place of education can bring to a young person’s life, but what exactly are these benefits?

At four years old, Thomas would not have dared imagine how life would be for his ten-year-old self.

South Sudan is one of the most food-insecure countries in the world, with years of conflict, instability and climate-related issues severely limiting the country’s food production abilities.

On her first day at a brand-new school, Teresa was too timid to stand in line to receive her lunch from Mary’s Meals. Seeing a young girl like herself, Tabitha approached with a smile, offering to share her meal with a new-found companion. In that moment, a lifetime of conflict between two warring factions was set aside by children who just needed a friend.This is the story of how two young girls, thrown together by fate and kindness, have become symbols for peace in South Sudan.

Mary’s Meals expands its programme in Madagascar with new partner, Money for Madagascar.

A girl in South Sudan recounts the day her life changed forever and the long road ahead.

In South Sudan, the promise of a daily meal in class means many parents now allow their daughters to attend school

Since the conflict in Tigray began in November 2020, I have on several occasions finished an emotional call with my friend and co-worker there and thought to myself that things could not possibly get any worse. And then they have.

At just 13, Moses has taken on a role that no child should have to – caring for his elderly grandmother.

Six thousand miles from home, one missionary nun was brought to tears by the poverty and insecurity she witnessed in a South Sudan village.

The only food Abak and Aping eat in a typical day is a simple bowl of maize and beans served by Mary’s Meals at their school.

Life is anything but easy for children living in South Sudan.

A tragedy for young Martha did nothing to dampen her spirits for academic achievement.

Ill-fitting footwear won’t stop these sisters in their quest to learn and receive a daily meal

YouTubers Kasia and Łukasz turn their wheels for Mary’s Meals

What does a day in the life of 12-year-old Success look like?

Our newest programme country is one which is in the most urgent need as it faces long-term, and devastating conflict and increasingly difficult conditions.

Join us as we take a look back over the past year at Mary's Meals, reflecting on our milestones and looking ahead to a new year and new chapter.

At 77 years old, Gogo Kumpini perhaps did not expect to become sole guardian to a lively group of young boys and girls.

Spreading festive cheer with Mary’s Meals Czech Republic

Church, modest meals, and hope for better days mark the season in Malawi’s cramped Dzaleka camp.

For many in the West African nation, Christmas is celebrated with special songs, greetings, and mixed feelings about the holiday.

Everything you need to know about giving during the most wonderful time of the year.