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World Porridge Day 10.10.10 - visit the World Porridge Day website
Sunday October 10th 2010 is the second World Porridge Day, an occasion to enjoy a traditional dish, and to think about the children in other countries for whom ‘porridge’ can be the key to education and a brighter future.
In Malawi, over 340 000 children receive Mary’s Meals every day. Their meal is ‘liknui phala’ - a maize-based based porridge fortified with vitamins and minerals.
Because this porridge plays such an important part in the work of Mary’s Meals in Malawi, we have joined forces with the organisers of the World Porridge Making Championships, held in Carrbridge, Scotland, to hold World Porridge Day, an event that aims to raise money and increase awareness about Mary’s Meals work.
To many of us porridge is a ‘comfort’ food – something that warms us up on a wet, wintry day. To the children who receive Mary’s Meals in Malawi it is a comfort too, but in an entirely different way. For them, and their parents and community, it is the comfort of knowing that there will be a next meal and they no longer have to scavenge or work for it.
Andrew Parker, a project worker in Malawi, describes a Mary’s Meals school feeding project:
“A Mary’s Meals kitchen is a lovely place to be,” he says, “especially when you meet the volunteers – local ladies who wear a Mary’s Meals chitenje (skirt) as uniform and who sing as they prepare the porridge in huge pots on the top of a rocket stove. It smells good.”
Join in the World’s Biggest Porridge Breakfast!
Mary’s Meals Fundraising Ideas for World Porridge Day
There are all sorts of ways supporters can use World Porridge Day to spread the word about Mary’s Meals and raise some funds at the same time. If you can’t do something on the day, feel free to choose another date close by.
Here are just a few ideas:
Churches – how about organising a porridge breakfast after your Sunday service? Distribute mugs or bowls of porridge in return for a donation.
Schools – Why not ask pupils to design and try out healthy toppings for a mug of porridge, you could try honey, raisins, bananas, or something a bit different like cinnamon and mango. Porridge re-heats well, so if it’s not possible for the kids to use a stove, perhaps you could prepare some in advance and just pop it in the microwave at school.
Work – take in some flapjacks and tempt your colleagues into a donation
Community – porridge stalls inviting donations to Mary’s Meals could be set up at village fetes, shows and sporting events, or what about a sponsored activity?
Families – a simple breakfast instead of a Sunday treat and donate the money saved to Mary’s Meals?
Last year the first World Porridge Day was a huge success with events from Ireland to Sweden, from France to Malawi, not to mention breakfasts all over the UK. This year, we hope you will get involved so that it will be even bigger.
If you do organise something to support Mary’s Meals through World Porridge Day, we would love to hear about it and to see your pictures too. info@marysmeals.org
“I do not worry about being hungry anymore because the porridge is filling...” Cosmas, a Standard 7 pupil from Malawi
Golden Spurtle World Porridge Day site http://www.goldenspurtle.com/world-porridge-day
Coverage of World Porridge Day 2009
The Scotsman: http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Porridge-Day-celebrations-set-to.5701789.jp
The Herald: http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/american-man-named-best-porridge-maker-1.925479
BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8299671.stm |
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