Your Gift at Work: Reaching More Children in Malawi

It was the first day of the Mary’s Meals school feeding program at Namingwere Primary School. For many of these children, it will be the only meal they eat all day, a lifeline in a place where hunger is a daily reality. 

We set out early in the morning before the sun had risen, the sky still cloaked in darkness. At first, the road to the school was surprisingly smooth, a rare treat in this part of Malawi. We drove easily through the quiet countryside, headlights cutting through the early morning haze. The pavement soon disappeared and was replaced by dusty dirt tracks riddled with deep potholes. With every passing kilometre, the path grew rougher until there was no road at all – just open ground and narrow footpaths worn down by the feet of children making their daily journey to school. Mary’s Meals vehicles were the first to ever reach this place – a testament to the school’s isolation and our determination to reach those who learn there. 

When we arrived, the scene was staggering. Crumbling brick buildings stood like ghosts of what should be a vibrant place of learning. There were no desks, the school bell had broken long ago, and yet, standing amid the rubble was headteacher Luciano Ngiriki, beaming with pride: “It is like I am walking on sunshine. I wish you could come every day,” he told me. 

The excitement was palpable. Children gathered, mugs in hand, to receive their first cup of phala, a vitamin-rich porridge. I watched them eat in silence at first, focused and grateful. And then something amazing happened. After the meal, they erupted into joy, running, playing, and screaming with laughter in the schoolyard. The hunger, if only for a moment, had lifted, and in its place was childhood.

Word spread quickly about the arrival of Mary’s Meals at Namingwere. On the second day, hundreds more children arrived at the school. The promise of a meal had travelled throughout the rural countryside. Children who had never set foot in a classroom before came walking for kilometres, hopeful and eager. After they ate, their eyes lit up, and it was time to play. It reminded me of my own childhood in Saskatoon - of carefree recess. For most Canadian children, lunch is routine, and play is expected. But at Namingwere, this was something entirely new, something remarkable. 

During my time in Malawi, I met many young adults who told me they wouldn’t be where they are today without Mary’s Meals. Some were the first in their families to attend university, breaking barriers that once felt insurmountable. Elijah, 24, is one of them. He is the first in his family to pursue higher education, a milestone made possible by the nourishment he received as a child. Today, Elijah is also an entrepreneur, selling food to help support his mother and sisters while he studies. With quiet determination, he told me: “Mary’s Meals changed my life. It changed my destiny."

This year in Malawi, Mary’s Meals expanded its school feeding program to reach an additional 100,000 children, bringing the total number we serve there to 1,315,000. 

I often hear people ask: Does it really make a difference? Let me tell you: it does. 

Every school day, more than three million children in 16 countries receive a life-changing meal from Mary’s Meals. More than 78,000 of those children are nourished thanks to the steadfast generosity of Canadians like you who give so generously month after month to support our program. 

Yet millions are still waiting for that simple gift: nourishment, the chance to learn, and the hope of a better future. As I flew back to Canada, heart full and mind racing, I kept thinking of the children at Namingwere and the powerful impact of one daily meal. For only $31.70, less than the cost of a dinner out or a new t-shirt, a child can have a daily meal for an entire school year. It’s a small act with a lasting return.  

To all those who are helping: thank you. And to those just learning about our work, please, join us. Let’s keep showing up -for the children, for the futures still unwritten. This is more than just a meal. It’s a catalyst for hope and generational change. 

Learn more about how you can help feed children around the world.

By Adrienne Harrop, Mary's Meals Canada