Why more children around the world need a school meal
As unpredictable weather and economic instability deepen poverty and hunger, Angela Chipeta-Khonje from Mary’s Meals Malawi reflects on how daily school meals at Thunga Primary School will support children and the wider community.
Thyolo District is a predominantly rural, agriculture-dependent district in the Southern Region of Malawi, where many households rely on smallholder farming for food and income. Communities face food security challenges linked to high agricultural input costs, dependence on rain-fed farming and limited access to productive farmland, with extensive tea estates occupying significant areas of the district. These pressures can make it difficult for smallholder families to produce sufficient food, particularly when agricultural and food prices increase.
Employment opportunities can also be limited and are often seasonal, with many people relying on casual or piecework jobs. For families who are unable to grow enough of their own food, purchasing food from local markets can be difficult, particularly when household incomes are low and inconsistent.
People in the community are living hand to mouth and children are the most vulnerable. Many don’t go to school or often miss class to help their parents with work, and they are at greater risk of illness due to hunger.
Sadly, families already living with very little are being pushed into even greater hardship due to increases in fuel and food prices and this year’s El Niño, which is predicted to be the strongest on record, bringing extreme temperatures, more droughts and floods. These pressures are not unique to Thyolo. Communities across Malawi and the 15 other countries where we work are facing similar challenges, and the pressures are only expected to intensify.
A school meal to look forward to
Against this backdrop, Mary’s Meals is committed to expanding the school meal programme to Thunga Primary School in Thyolo District. It will provide children with a nutritious meal each school day, help to alleviate their hunger, and give them the energy to stay in class and learn. For families facing difficult choices about how to afford food each day, knowing their child will receive a meal at school could also provide much-needed financial support.
That is why we need your help this Christmas. For pupils at Thunga Primary, we know the school meal will often be the only food they have that day, so we want to ensure when they arrive each morning, there is a nutritious meal waiting for them.
Hunger doesn't take a day off.
Hunger is continuous.
We must continue to provide meals to the children we already support, and make sure more children facing continuous hunger can look forward to a daily school meal.
It costs just €22 (EUR) / $25.20 USD / £19.15 (GBP) to provide a child with nutritious school meals for a whole school year. Make a donation this Christmas and fuel a child’s learning in school.