Partnership is at the very centre of Mary’s Meals’ success
In Lebanon and Mozambique, we work together with local partners to deliver daily school meals that not only alleviate children’s immediate hunger but also offers their families hope of lasting change.
Long-term collaboration with local partner organisations is at the heart of the Mary’s Meals approach, and we work closely with partners to implement our school feeding. Our partner organisations bring their dedication, knowledge and reputation to our mission, allowing us to serve children in areas that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to reach.
In this article, we talked to Jennifer Roumieh from Dorcas in Lebanon and Roberto Mutisse from Mozambique School Lunch Initiative about how they collaborate with Mary’s Meals to deliver our school feeding programme and how it gives hope to the children we serve.
“With hope, there is the possibility of change”
Jennifer Roumieh is a social worker and focal point for Mary’s Meals’ partner at the Tabitha Community Center in Batroun, Lebanon. She coordinates the children and volunteers at the centre to ensure the meals we serve are nutritious and distributed fairly. Many of the children face daily struggles at home, with their families unable to provide healthy meals because of unemployment and economic collapse. Hunger impacts their concentration and ability to learn, while insecurity and social tensions add further strain that makes it harder for them to succeed in education.
How does Mary’s Meals’ school feeding programme give hope to the children, families, and communities we serve?
Jennifer Roumieh: “It brings stability to their lives. For children who often don’t know if they will have enough to eat at home, receiving a daily meal at our centre gives them something to count on.
“Hope is what allows children and their families to look beyond the daily struggles of life. When parents know that their child will eat at least one healthy meal each day, it relieves them of some of the burden they carry. For the children, hope motivates them to learn, dream, and believe in better opportunities. Without hope, the cycle of poverty and hardship feels impossible to break; with hope, there is the possibility of change.”
How does the school feeding programme give you hope?
Jennifer Roumieh: “It gives me hope to see how one daily meal can lift a child’s spirit, improve their focus and open the door to new dreams. It shows me that even the smallest steady acts of kindness can change lives.
“My hope is that the children here in Lebanon grow up with dignity and joy, knowing they are valued and cared for. I wish for them to have opportunities to learn, to explore their talents and to believe that tomorrow can be brighter. I hope they never lose the courage to dream.”
“Hope is very important as it creates resilience”
As Executive Director of Mozambique School Lunch Initiative (MSLI), our partner in the country, Roberto Mutisse oversees planning and operations to ensure MSLI achieves its mission to improve the lives of underprivileged children through school feeding in rural areas. Many communities in Mozambique face severe challenges including drought and floods that disrupt agriculture and create widespread food insecurity. The lack of food negatively impacts the education of thousands of children across the country through increased absenteeism and dropout rates. MSLI and Mary’s Meals collaborate with local communities to deliver the feeding programme across Mabalane District.
How does Mary’s Meals’ school feeding programme give hope to the children, families, and communities we serve?
Roberto Mutisse: “Mary’s Meals’ school feeding programme gives hope to children, families, and communities by providing nutritious meals to children, which combats hunger and malnutrition, giving them opportunity to study and improve their academic performance for a bright future. Through this programme, children can dream of a better future which will eventually break the cycle of poverty in their communities.
“Hope is very important as it creates resilience, gives them purpose to fight against adversity and strengthens the unity of communities. When they have hope, they will fight for their goals, and they will be motivated to believe in themselves that they can solve the problems of their families and communities and overcome them.”
How does the school feeding programme give you hope?
Roberto Mutisse: “When there is food in school, children attend and stay in school. Education builds human capital which leads to productivity, innovation, and economic growth. It is through education that communities can move from poverty to prosperity and from dependence to self-reliance. Therefore, I believe that with the school feeding programme children will be able to complete their education and have the necessary skills, which will open doors for them and give them brighter future.
“I hope that the children of Mozambique get the chance to have the food and nutrition they need so that they can grow up healthy. I hope they can have the opportunity to play, go to school and be happy in their childhood.”
This Christmas, for less than £20, you can give a child the gift of daily meals for an entire school year. It’s more than just a donation – it’s a promise that a child can eat every day in school for an entire school year, giving them, their families, and their local community hope of a brighter future.