Mary's Meals

Dear ICN Readers,

Today, more than 141,000 children in Zambia are sitting in classrooms with full stomachs, learning how to read and write, thanks to your readers' incredible response to a previous match funding campaign supported by the UK government.

Mary's Meals serves nutritious food at school to children living in some of the world's poorest countries, giving them the chance to gain an education that can, in the future, be their ladder out of poverty.

Thanks to generous public donations to our 2018 Double The Love campaign - which were matched by the UK government, up to £2 million - we have been able to transform more young lives in the Eastern Province of the African country.

Of these 141,734 children now receiving a mug of vitamin-enriched porridge from Mary's Meals, I am most encouraged to see half are girls - often the ones who face the biggest obstacles to gaining an education.

Martha, 13, is able to attend St Anne's Primary School thanks to the kindness of both our wonderful supporters and the UK government.

Martha lost her arm in a car accident and spent a year in hospital before adjusting to day-to-day life. Despite her disability, Martha is determined to put her sharp mind to work and excel at school.

She tells us: "There are nutrients in the porridge that give me more energy for my education. When I am educated, I will do things, I will provide for my family."

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who donated to Double The Love for helping us to deliver real and lasting change for some of the world's poorest children.

You can learn more about our work by visiting: www.marysmeals.org.uk

Karen Gray, Director of Communications at Mary's Meals