Mary’s Meals founder visits Lochaber youngsters
Youngsters from five Lochaber primary schools came together last week to hear a talk from Mary’s Meals charity founder and chief executive Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow.
The event took place at St Columba’s RC Primary School in Caol and saw well over 200 local school pupils in attendance.
Mary’s Meals is a remarkable project that today feeds more than a million children every single day in schools across four continents.
And although it now employs full-time staff, it is still overseen by Mr MacFarlaneBarrow from a shed in the garden of his home in Dalmally.
Over the past few months, the Lochaber youngsters have been filling backpacks for the charity with each getting pens, pencils, notepads, t-shirt, skirt or trousers, towel, a small ball – in fact the basic items any child needs for a school day.
Mr MacFarlane-Barrow was visiting to thank the pupils for their efforts with the backpack campaign, which was the idea of St Columba’s P7 pupil Bella MacFarlane.
Her mother, Claudia, told us: ‘Bella had the idea to get as many primary schools involved in a backpack collection for Mary’s Meals as possible. These backpacks are then sent to schools, mainly in Africa, where Mary’s Meals is operating.
‘St Columba’s Primary School has collected more than £5,000 over the last eight years and too many backpacks to count.
‘This event saw five schools coming together to see Magnus. All of them have participated in backpack collections – Shiel Bus even donated a bus to ferry children from Lundavra Primary.’
During the session at St Columba’s, Mr MacFarlaneBarrow showed pupils videos about the journey all their backpacks were making to reach children who needed them.
He told the Lochaber Times: ‘It was great to meet with the children, who have been doing incredible things by fundraising and filling backpacks for Mary’s Meals. Seeing how enthusiastic and knowledgeable they were about our work was wonderful.
‘The pupils I spoke with are a great example to all of us and a reminder that we can all play our part. It’s lovely to see them doing whatever they can to give children receiving Mary’s Meals, across the world, hope of a brighter future.’
St Columba’s head teacher Violet Smith said Mr MacFarlane-Barrow’s talk had been inspirational.
‘He was really excellent – we were very privileged to have Magnus come and talk to the children and staff,’ she said.
‘Magnus gave everyone an insight into life in Malawi, India and the other places where Mary’s Meals does such amazing work.
‘The children here, of course, are very familiar with the work of Mary’s Meals as it is our chosen charity.
‘Here at St Columba’s the children filled 70 backpacks for the recent appeal and Magnus showed some short video clips about the journey those backpacks had made.’
Ms Smith said the work of the charity touched a deep chord with the youngsters, who appreciated how privileged they were in comparison with the youngsters relying on Mary’s Meals.
‘When they see one of their backpacks being opened and a child in Malawi or wherever pulling out a towel and showing the kind of reaction our children would have to getting an iPad or something like that, it makes them realise how lucky we are here in this part of the world.’