Scots charity feeds two million of world’s poorest children

A Scots-headquartered global school meals charity says it is now feeding more than two million of the world’s poorest children across 19 countries.

Mary’s Meals said it will mark the occasion in the remote desert region of Turkana in Kenya, just one of the areas where its meals nourish children living in poverty.

The charity, registered in Dalmally, Argyll, delivers food to children in schools to allow the most vulnerable to attend lessons and concentrate in class, boosting their chances of improving their lives.

Founder and chief executive Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, said the milestone was an “an amazing moment in the Mary’s Meals story” and thanked people who donated for their “overwhelming” generosity.

He said: “I thank you with all my heart on behalf of each of those children, for every bit of hard work, for every gift given, for all those unique things each person brings to this enormous Mary’s Meals’ table.

“For every one of those children that ate today, many more are still waiting for Mary’s Meals to come to their school, so we go on. But this happy day shows us that this vision of ours is possible.”

The charity began its global school feeding operation with 200 pupils in Malawi in 2002 – and now a third of primary school kids in the country are fed by its local volunteers, Mary’s Meals said.

One child being fed by the charity is 11-year-old Gift, a pupil at Kabila Primary School in Zambia who used to skip class to scavenge for scraps.

But now he enjoys a mug of vitamin-enriched porridge every day at school and says he does not feel hungry at school any more.

He said: “I want to make a better future for myself. School is the only way to do that. When I finish school, I want to be a doctor and I want to be in a position where I can help my family.”