Scottish Catholic Observer

The Scottish-based charity is now providing 20,000 children with a daily meal every day they attend school in the poverty-stricken African country.

Located in south-central Africa, the vast majority of the population in Zambia live on around a £1 a day and over a million children go to school hungry. In the Chipata district, Mary’s Meals is working with 25 primary schools. Each child will be given a daily serving of a vitamin-enriched maize porridge.

Panji Kajani, Mary’s Meals country representative for Zambia, said the charity had started work there due to the overwhelming need.

“There is a great urgency to tackle poverty in Zambia which is why we’ve launched this school feeding programme now,” he said. “Low harvests mean many children have limited access to food and this is infringing on their right to receive an education.

For 14-year-old Saidee, who attends one of the schools being helped the arrival of Mary’s Meals has been transformative.

“When I’m hungry I feel so sick,” she said. “Sometimes my eyes get really blurry and I can’t see anything. The porridge is helping me come to school because I don’t need to work to get my food. It’s also helping me with my running because I have more energy.”

Mary’s Meals now works in 13 impoverished countries around the world providing more than 920,000 children with daily meals in their place of learning.

— http://www.marysmeals.org.uk/

—Read the full version of this story in October 17 edition of the SCO in parishes from Friday.