By Thomas Black

TODAY is the International Day of Friendship – a good day to celebrate the remarkable story of a beautiful friendship in South Sudan, started by the simple act of sharing a school meal.

Mary’s Meals is a charity serving a daily meal in 20 of the world’s poorest countries. This attracts hungry children into the classroom where, instead of working or looking for food, they can gain an education and learn their way to a brighter future.

South Sudan is one of the countries where we work in – and it is a place where many children have grown up knowing nothing but war.

With their families coming from opposing clans in different states, Teresa and Tabitha were destined to spend their lives not knowing the joy they could bring to one another. Last year, that trajectory changed for the girls – thanks to an act of kindness.

Teresa’s home village was submerged in rainwater during some of the worst floods to hit South Sudan in decades. The effects were felt by around 700,000 people across the country, destroying homes, schools, livestock and crops.

After months of uncertainty and upheaval, Teresa’s family settled near Tabitha’s village, and she enrolled in a school where we serve Mary’s Meals. Alone and afraid, Teresa was too timid to stand in line to receive the maize and beans that we serve in 114 schools across the country. But then she was approached by Tabitha, who smiled and offered to share her meal.

Teresa and Tabitha are now inseparable. They sit together in class, support one another, and share the joys of childhood wherever they can be found. Our melas and the hand of friendship have been the catalyst for change in their young lives.

This friendship gives me hope for the children of South Sudan, whose childhoods and futures have been marred by decades of war.

Around the world, 2,279,941 will eat Mary’s Meals today. That’s 2,279,941 children who will come together with their friends in the classroom, and in the future, can become the men and women who will help lift their communities out of poverty.

We serve these meals in the world’s poorest, and often most difficult, locations such as South Sudan because we know that’s where children need us the most. With the cost of living crisis expected to push up food prices globally and Covid-19 continuing to impact communities, our work continues to be both challenging and indispensable.

It’s easy to feel hopeless when faced with so much suffering. But every single thing that people do for our mission makes an enormous difference to the children who eat our meals, allowing them to gain an education and look to a much brighter future.

It costs just £15.90 to feed a child for a year with Mary’s Meals, and for many like Teresa and Tabitha, this daily meal is helping to change lives.

Thomas Black is head of major giving and partnerships at Mary’s Meals which has teamed with Farewill, the largest will writer in the UK, to offer a free will writing service to supporters. To find out more, visit marysmeals.org.uk/will