Pope Leo XIV receives Mary’s Meals t-shirt and mug on Africa tour flight

This week marked a special media moment for Mary’s Meals – one that reflects both the growing reach of our work and the urgency of the global challenge we exist to address.

As Pope Leo XIV travelled to Africa at the start of his historic tour, journalists on the papal flight shared a Mary’s Meals T‑shirt and mug, along with news that our school feeding programmes are now reaching more than 3 million children every school day.

Already familiar with our mission, the Pope responded with a warm smile as he heard how significantly our work has grown over the years. Coming from one of the most high‑profile figures in the world right now, this acknowledgement brought Mary’s Meals into an international spotlight at a moment when attention on child hunger could not be more critical.

Africa is home to some of the most severe challenges facing children today. Globally, one in four children experience severe food poverty in early childhood, affecting an estimated 181 million children under the age of five. At the same time, 78 million primary‑school‑aged children are out of school – often because hunger prevents them from learning or attending at all.

Magnus reflected on this on his Instagram post, reminding us that there can be no peace without justice – and no justice in a world where children are living with such deep food insecurity and hunger.

This moment of global recognition is a reminder that the work happening every day across Mary’s Meals matters and is being noticed at the highest levels.