When my brother and I launched a little local appeal from our home village of Dalmally back in 1992, we were simply hoping to collect some essential items for communities in Bosnia-Herzegovina who were suffering the effects of a brutal war. We only intended to make one delivery of aid and took just one week off work to do so. I could never have imagined then that this would evolve into a global movement through which 2.4 million children are currently fed at school each day. The only reason that first effort became something much bigger was the extraordinary response to our appeal – and in the 30 years since, that outpouring of generosity has been repeated over and over.  

Herald readers may remember stories about our early work – under the name Scottish International Relief – delivering gifts to communities in Bosnia and Croatia during that awful war; establishing homes in Romania for children who had been infected with HIV and abandoned in hospitals; and supporting rural communities in Liberia trying to recover from another terrible civil war. People all over Scotland made the very early days of our work possible – consistently reaching out in compassion to those suffering the effects of conflict and extreme poverty. It’s difficult to put into words the difference this sort of generosity can make to people who find themselves in need. 

Children enjoying porridge from Mary’s Meals in Malawi, the country where the charity started 22 years ago.Children enjoying porridge from Mary’s Meals in Malawi, the country where the charity started 22 years ago. (Image: Andrew Cawley)

In 2002, while visiting Malawi during a famine (accompanied by journalists from The Herald), something happened that would change the focus of our work profoundly. I was introduced to Emma, who was dying of Aids, and her six children. When I asked the eldest, Edward, what he hoped for in life, he replied: “I would like to have enough to eat and I would like to be able to go to school one day.” Those stark, sad words helped to inspire a new project called Mary’s Meals – a small programme that engaged community members as volunteers and served simple school meals to around 200 children in two schools in rural Malawi. 

Our supporters responded in beautiful ways and before we knew it, families, church groups, and individuals were doing all they could to encourage and get involved. It was clear that people wanted to reach out to hungry children and were captured by the simple idea of providing school meals as an incentive for learning. School feeding became our sole focus, and the charity’s name was officially changed to Mary’s Meals.  

The fact our programme has grown from those small beginnings to reach more than 2.4 million children in 17 countries with a vital meal at school every day is incredible. And this growth, at least in part, is thanks to the amazing generosity of people all over Scotland and around the world who agree that no child should endure a day without a meal or be too hungry to learn. Indeed, our vision is that every child receives a daily meal in their place of education, and we are determined to continue growing our programme to reach the many children still waiting.  

Mary’s Meals began school feeding in Zimbabwe in 2018.Mary’s Meals began school feeding in Zimbabwe in 2018. (Image: KB MPOFU)

This year, we’ve been responding to devastating need in Tigray, Ethiopia – the region made famous by the heartbreaking 1984 BBC footage, during the famine that inspired Live Aid. And I’m sure many people wonder why hunger in Africa hasn’t been solved yet, considering the millions of pounds raised for famine relief. The sad truth is that Tigray was showing incredible signs of recovery and was even held up as a model of economic development, only to be set back decades by conflict and climate challenges, which have caused immeasurable suffering and extreme food insecurity. 

Following two years of horrific civil war and several failed rainy seasons, extreme hunger was preventing children from returning to the classroom after years of school closures. We appealed to our supporters and thanks to their response we have been able to add around 70,000 children to our programme in Tigray, which now provides much-needed daily meals to more than 110,000 children every school day.  

Another country where our programme has grown rapidly in recent years is Zimbabwe. The enduring food insecurity experienced by communities there is being exacerbated by a terrible drought that’s affecting much of southern Africa and leaving tens of millions of people in need of humanitarian assistance. We began working with communities in Zimbabwe in 2018, serving meals to around 5,000 children. Today, more than 105,000 schoolchildren across the country eat Mary’s Meals every school day. Over the coming weeks, you will hear stories from some of the promising young people who eat those meals as well as others in the community who help to make the feeding programme a success and families who can testify to the impact of these daily meals. One lesson I’ve learned during the last 30+ years is that incredible things happen when we all play our own small part, willing to work together to pave the way for a brighter future. 

Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow OBE is the founder and CEO of the charity Mary’s Meals, a non-profit organisation that provides life-changing meals to some of the world’s poorest children every school day.