Mary's Meals

Child Protection

Mary’s Meals is an international movement to set up school feeding projects in communities where poverty and hunger prevent children from gaining an education.

Mary’s Meals provides daily meals in school for over 500,000 children in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe.

 

How Mary's Meals Works

Mary’s Meals provides daily meals to chronically hungry children in their local school. In this way the hungry child is encouraged to attend school and, through education, gain a better future for himself and his community.

The Problem – World Hunger

Today more people die from hunger related diseases than they do from HIV/AIDS, malaria, or tuberculosis combined. In a world where there is enough food for everybody, hunger is still the biggest threat to health. Children are particularly vulnerable. Hunger kills millions of them each year. It also stunts their growth – and their dreams. Hungry children think about survival, not about going to school. In order to survive they have to labour, whether in the fields or on the streets. Even if they do make it into the classroom, hunger will affect their ability to learn. All of this suffering could be prevented.

The solution – Mary’s Meals

An education can set a child free from poverty in adult life. And not only that child but their children too. To gain an education children first need to attend school and then be given the opportunity to learn. Mary’s Meals is not only feeding children, but it is also allowing the children to attend school and to be educated:

Daily Attendance Improves
Poor children are more likely to fall ill or be needed by their families for chores and so they often miss a lot of school. Mary’s Meals brings children to the classroom every day.

Concentration improves
Mary’s Meals removes the gnawing pain of hunger, leaving children free to turn their attention to class work.

Education of girls is encouraged
Girls from poor backgrounds are more likely to miss out on school than boys. Poor families often expect girls to help in the household. Mary’s Meals helps girls attend school and realize their full potential.

Better Grades
Mary’s Meals provides the conditions necessary for learning and so improves pupils’ performance.