Helping Hand Appeal
For a few more days, your gift to Mary’s Meals can be worth twice as much – giving more children the energy to learn and escape the cycle of poverty
Ester gets up at 4am to do chores before school
There’s just a few days left to take advantage of the UK government pledge to match public donations to Mary’s Meals Double The Love campaign which is all about extending their programme of feeding hungry children in school in Zambia.
Children like 10-year-old Eneless who dreams of being a maths teacher. The meal she receives every day gives her the energy to learn and to play with her friends.
“School is important so I can get educated and be able to care for my parents when I am older,” she told us.
“Phala (porridge) makes me feel powerful and strong because I know it is good for me.”
Or 15-year-old Ester who lives with her grandmother. She gets up at 4am to do chores before walking an hour to school where she supervises the cleaning of the classrooms before lessons begin. She is doing well at school – she is a prefect and also plays in the netball team.
Any food at home is dependent on her grandmother finding bits of work to buy food. So the porridge she receives at school is vital for her.
“I don’t want to be struggling like I am at the moment,” she says. “I want to be a nurse!”
Or children like Yolamo who is 14 and whose mother has passed away. He lives with his sisters and father, who is a farmer. Money and food are scarce and he often arrives at school with an empty stomach.
And the best thing about school?
“Reading,” Yolamo told us. “Reading makes me happy. I read everything that I can.”
My Weekly readers have already dug deep to help these and tens of thousands of other hungry children around the world, but we’re asking you to make one last effort. Any cheque written and dated by March 1 will be eligible for fund-matching by the UK government.
Details of how you can make your donation can be found below.