You Give Them Hope
My Weekly Editor Stuart Johnstone recalls seeing first-hand how readers’ donations make a real difference
Helping Hand Appeal 2018
As part of our Helping Hand Appeal, My Weekly staff have regularly visited countries where children are receiving Mary’s Meals food.
I first travelled to Malawi in 2014 aware of many of the disturbing statistics reflecting levels of deprivation and poor health, but in truth I had very little idea of what to expect. I knew it was one of the poorest countries on the world, with a devastatingly high rate of HIV and where poverty and malnutrition were widespread.
Our visit was focused on schools, meeting with pupils who are receiving Mary’s Meals food and to speak to volunteers and charity workers in the area. I had been told that the young learners would be excited to meet us “visitors” but nothing could have prepared me for the wave of enthusiasm that greeted myself and photographer Chris Watt on our arrival.
We pulled up outside the Mbandanga school just outside Blantyre in a white Toyota Hilux and immediately there was a sea of smiling faces there to greet us.
The youngsters were fascinated by our cameras, phones and even watches. The small things we take for granted were amazingly exotic objects to them.
In the distance we could hear singing and the there was a strong smell of smoke in the air, which indicated that the porridge or “phala” as it’s known locally, was being prepared. The kitchen was something to behold. It was funded by donations from My Weekly readers and inside local volunteers stirred enormous pots of porridge. It was hard work, made more difficult by the searing heat of the stoves, but the women were all smiling and happy because they knew it meant their children, who were pupils at the school, would be about to receive a nutritious meal.
After speaking to teachers and volunteers, we were told to brace ourselves. It was time to serve the porridge! First of all, all the young learners were made to wash their hands in cold water outside the school, then they were handed a mug and they lined up.
The volunteers would carry the pots of porridge to a suitable spot and one by one, the childrens’ mugs were filled with porridge. Up to that moment it had been a riot of noise as the kids chatted, laughed and jumped up and down excitedly.
However, as soon as the porridge was served it was like a switch had been flipped. It all went very quiet while the children tucked in.
For many it was the first food they would have received that day, and for some it might even be the only food they received that day. For the pupils, it is a lifeline. A tasty, essential meal packed with nutrients. For the teachers, it means lethargic pupils have energy to learn and to concentrate in class, meaning longterm, these kids have a chance of breaking out of the cycle of poverty they are trapped in through no fault of their own.
During my visits to Africa, I have seen people who are living in truly unimaginable conditions, suffering terribly in the face of extreme deprivation. However, I have also seen great generosity of spirit and amazing strength of character.
Most of all, I have seen hope – and that is very much down to the kindness of our readers and others who donate money and time to charities like Mary’s Meals.
For many, the porridge was the first food they y received that day y