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		Radio 4 appeal with Duncan Bannatyne Mary's Meals has been chosen to be the subject of a BBC Radio 4 appeal. The appeal will be presented by Duncan Bannatyne, the entrepreneur and Dragon's Den star, a long-time supporter who has visited our projects in Malawi and Romania. It will first be on air next Sunday, August 1. The appeal will talk about our work providing children with a meal a day in their place of education and give listeners the chance to hear the sound of a class singing in Malawi. Mary's Meals would like to thank Duncan Bannatyne for giving his time so generously to help Mary's Meals, and the Radio 4 appeal team for their support, advice and encouragement. Please tell your friends and family about the appeal, and tune in to hear it on 92-96 FM, Sunday August 1 at 07:55 and 21:26, or on Thursday, August 5 at 15:27. It will also be available online from Sunday. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qnc7.

		Mary's Meals at the St Ninian's Day Parade Mary's Meals has been chosen as one of the charities that will benefit from the St Ninian's Day Parade, an event which will mark the Pope's visit to Edinburgh on September 16th. The Parade, which will begin at about 11am, will involve schools and community groups, who will be invited to help line the route. Thousands of Saltire flags will be given out to help create a sea of blue. As well as Pope Benedict XVI himself, the procession will include pipe bands from around Scotland and a pageant featuring St Ninian and other Christian historical characters. Children from Scottish schools called St Ninian will play a special role. The event will raise funds for Mary's Meals and Marie Curie Cancer Care. We will be looking for volunteers to get involved. If you would like to take part, please keep the date free and watch this space for more details about how to get involved. http://www.stniniansday.co.uk

		Six months on in Haiti Six months after the earthquake that devastated Haiti, Mary’s Meals is reporting remarkable progress on the road to recovery – thanks to the generosity of schools, community groups and volunteer fundraisers. Mary’s Meals, which ran school feeding projects in some of the poorest parts of Haiti before the disaster, found that many of the schools it worked in were destroyed on January 12. In the months since the earthquake, the charity has concentrated on restarting school feeding in the affected areas, ensuring that children are able to benefit from the stability of a school routine and the comfort of a nutritious meal. Now the majority of its schools in the Cite Soleil slum have been reopened, with classes taking place in temporary buildings while reconstruction takes place. Mary’s Meals is also reaching those living in tent cities, supplying food, water, shelter and crucial employment. Fundraising efforts in Scotland ranged from contributions at the Lord Provost of Glasgow’s Burns supper, to Dumbarton policeman Willie Crowe’s 100-man sponsored leg wax, school ‘Hats for Haiti’ days and a dinner dance on Orkney. Volunteers organised collections from the streets of Oban to the Celtic Connections festival. “We want to thank the people of Scotland for their generosity to those facing hardship in Haiti,” said Abeer Macintyre, Mary’s Meals’ lead fundraiser. “Their on-going goodwill helped us in the days after the earthquake, and now it is helping us to make a long term contribution to children’s future.” Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, Mary’s Meals chief executive, visited Haiti a few days after the earthquake and will return in July to work with our local partners Hands Together planning the next stage in the recovery process. “At the time of the earthquake, Mary’s Meals was starting to have a positive effect, drawing children into school in Haiti,” he said. “It was incredibly moving going into Cite Soleil and seeing what had happened to the buildings, and meeting the children who used to go to those schools, hanging about in the rubble outside. It gave us a sense of the scale of what we needed to do.” “What we hope to do now is to expand, so that we can start providing many more children in schools with daily meals, in Cite Soleil, in Port au Prince, and in other parts of Haiti as well. It remains our belief that this will lift the poorest communities in Haiti out of poverty.” Click here for our Haiti Appeal site

		Mary’s Meals now feeds 400,000 Mary’s Meals is feeding over 400,000 children in 15 of the world’s poorest countries. The charity, which began when its founders took jeep-loads of aid to Bosnia in the 1990s, started its school feeding programme in Malawi just eight years ago, and has expanded to provide school dinners for 413,900 children (equivalent to over twice the population of Aberdeen). “We believe that by providing a hungry child with a meal a day, in school, we can help them to stay strong and healthy and encourage them to go to school, improving their chances for the future,” said Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, founder and chief-executive. “Reaching 400,000 children is a significant achievement, and we are grateful to all the volunteers and supporters who have enabled us to help them, but there are 1 billion children living in poverty in the world today. Our work is not done until every one of those children has enough to eat and a chance to go to school.” Mary’s Meals has been able to reach its new total as a result of expansion in Liberia, where it has started providing meals for 2,500 children who live on a rubber plantation, a hot-spot for fighting during the civil war, where until recently many people were isolated without access to food or education. On Thursday, April 22, staff will mark the milestone with an internet link-up to Liberia, to take place at the charity’s aid warehouse. Volunteers will load a container full of backpacks and other materials due to depart for Liberia on the same day.

		Backpack distribution in Malawi The Mary’s Meals team in Malawi have been busy distributing backpacks to schools across the country, including some where children are receiving them for the first time. One of the schools to benefit is Chisebe Primary School, in the northern district of Karonga, whose staff and pupils were victims of earthquakes in December 2009. Their classrooms were ruined in the disaster, which also destroyed more than 800 homes. Since then, lessons have continued either outdoors or in tents. The backpacks came as a welcome surprise to the children, and their contents, which include clothes, school materials and toiletries, will be valuable to their families too.


		Mary's Meals Events All Mary's Meals fundraising events and other key events are listed in a new online calendar viewable on the new Fundraising Resources Blog. This calendar can be viewed here or by clicking the image to the left.

		1. Fundraising Support Mary's Meals is a rapidly expanding charity which is attracting attention beyond Scotland. This role is to support the Lead Fundraiser in a wide range of activities. You would be based in our Glasgow Office. Responsibilities include: - Supporting all volunteer fundraisers - Training and management of Mary's Meals speakers - Research and analysis - Support of regional co-ordinators Closing date 10th September 2010 Please submit a CV and cover letter detailing your experience to: Sharon Campbell at: 64-66 Glentanar Road Balmore Industrial Est Glasgow G22 7XS or email to jobs@marysmeals.org DOWNLOAD JOB DESCRIPTION 2. Rice Farm Project Consultant, Mary’s Meals Liberia Mary’s Meals is a rapidly growing charity that provides daily meals in school for over 400,000 children in 15 countries. We run several projects in Liberia including a 25 acre rice farm that has just brought in its first harvest. We are recruiting a consultant to research the operations and finances of the rice farm to date and develop a business plan. BUSINESS PLAN TO COVER: Rice sector in Liberia Recommended model of ownership Critical risks and problems Marketing Plan Closing date 14th August 2010. Please submit a CV and cover letter detailing your experience to: Sharon Campbell at: 64-66 Glentanar Road Balmore Industrial Est Glasgow G22 7XS or email to jobs@marysmeals.org DOWNLOAD TERMS OF REFERENCE HERE Latest Volunteer Vacancies 1. Volunteer Building Engineer in Malawi Mary’s Meals currently provides over 350,000 children in Malawi with a daily meal in school. We are planning an expansion of our programme over the coming months. When we initiate a school feeding project we usually start by building a simple kitchen/shelter. We are looking for a volunteer builder who could help us coordinate this construction work. They would work alongside a national building engineer and must be prepared to spend at least 2 months in Malawi. To find out more please contact: Sharon Campbell T: 0141 336 8978 E: sharon.campbell@marysmeals.org 2.Volunteer Street Can Collection Coordinator The success of Mary’s Meals is mainly due to its army of volunteers who help us raise funds and awareness of our work. By helping us co ordinate our street can collections, you can help us enormously with both. You'll work closely with the Lead Fundraiser and will be supported through other willing volunteers. Main Duties: Be an ambassador for Mary’s Meals Organise collection can events Recruit and manage a team of collectors Liaise with local councils and police Manage smooth running of events Deal with queries from the public Keep an accurate record of money collected Bank the collected donations *If you would like to apply for, or find out more about, this role please contact: abeer.macintyre@marysmeals.org* 3. Church Co-ordinator Support Mary's Meals is hoping to recruit two volunteers to support our Churches Co-ordinator, who is based in Glasgow. Mary's Meals draws support from a wide variety of churches and faith groups. The purpose of this role is to increase awareness of the work of Mary's Meals amongst faith communities. We would welcome volunteers who are happy to act as ambassadors for Mary’s Meals, who enjoy talking on the phone and answering questions. Duties: To work with the Churches Co-ordinator and with another key volunteer based in Edinburgh. To raise awareness about the work of Mary's Meals and answer questions about the charity. To feed information to the office for inclusion in our database. To find out more, contact frances.odonnell@marysmeals.org 4. Volunteer Speakers - Dundee Mary’s Meals is looking for volunteer speakers in the Dundee area. You would be asked make occasional visits to schools, community and church groups, to talk about the work of Mary’s Meals. Training and resources will be provided. For more details e-mail schools@marysmeals.org.