The charity will feed a million children around the world every day.
Mary’s Meals will provide food at home for more than a million children during the coronavirus pandemic, the charity has announced.
With schools around the world closed to slow the spread of the virus, the charity has adapted its service model to ensure children will still receive meals while the crisis is ongoing.
Mary’s Meals’ volunteers are already distributing food in villages in Kenya for parents to collect so their children can eat at home. The food is distributed in ways that adhere to public health policies, and prioritise the safety of the communities, children and Mary’s Meals’ volunteers and staff.
Similar initiatives will also be launched in Malawi and Zambia after the charity reached agreements with government and community leaders in those countries.
Daniel Adams, UK executive director of Mary’s Meals, said: “All around the world, schools are closed and homes have become places of learning. This means we have had to find new ways to feed the children who eat Mary’s Meals – sometimes the only food they receive in a day.
“The coronavirus crisis presents extraordinarily difficult circumstances, but we are determined to keep our promise to the children who rely on Mary’s Meals. We have a long history of feeding children in the world’s most challenging environments. This has included delivering much-needed food during the time of the Ebola virus in Liberia and emergency feeding during famine in East Africa, as well as in conflict-hit South Sudan.”
A report published last week by the UN warned that around 265 million people are forecast to be facing acute food insecurity by the end of this year – more than double the 130 million estimated to suffer severe food shortages in 2019. Many of the countries predicted to be worst affected are those in which Mary’s Meals is working.
The charity currently provides nutritional meals to children in 19 of the world’s poorest countries. New approaches have already been agreed for India and Haiti, and the charity is having urgent discussions with governments and community leaders in other countries to find safe ways to feed children during the pandemic.
Mr Adams added: “At a time when people in the UK are also facing many challenges, we are so grateful for everything our supporters are doing to ensure the children we feed can grow up strong and healthy. It is thanks to their kindness and generosity that this mission can continue, even amidst the most uncertain of times.”
