Dalmally charity in urgent plea for help
Argyll-based charity Mary’s Meals is launching an emergency campaign calling for help to reach desperately hungry children caught up in the worsening crisis in war-torn South Sudan.
The fighting is forcing families from their homes, schools are being destroyed and 6.3 million people are facing a hunger crisis. As the lean season between harvests approaches, this figure is expected to rise and more than seven million people – almost two-thirds of the population – could soon be at risk.
The charity is one of the few organisations providing reliable and consistent food delivery to schools in the country, working alongside its local partner organisation, the Diocese of Rumbek, to feed desperately hungry children at 40 schools in Rumbek, Yirol and Mapuordit in the Lakes state, a region that has been plagued with persistent violence and food insecurity. Now more hungry children are turning to Dalmally-based Mary’s Meals for help as rising numbers of families arrive in the area where the charity is working, having fled from other parts of the country. The daily food Mary’s Meals provides is not just a powerful incentive to come to school, but is also a vital lifeline for vulnerable children in need of nourishment.
As the charity launches its Crisis In South Sudan appeal, Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, founder of Mary’s Meals, said: ‘The plight of children in South Sudan is truly heartbreaking. For them, the promise of a daily school meal has never been more important. Those delivering food to schools in South Sudan are telling us that heavy rain has flooded roads, making it impossible to reach some schools by car.
‘Instead, they are carrying the heavy sacks of food on foot, sometimes over great distances, because they know how much the children in those villages need it.
‘We are determined to keep our promise to the 1,257,278 children around the world who rely on Mary’s Meals. With more hungry children arriving at schools in South Sudan each day, we also need help to meet the growing demand there.
‘We hope to ensure that every new child enrolling at schools in South Sudan already serving Mary’s Meals can receive a daily meal and, as funds allow, also expand our programme to reach 1,657 additional children at five new schools in the country. We can do this with support, while continuing to expand our programme around the world to reach many more children.
‘I want to thank with all my heart those who are supporting our mission at this time. Together, we can save lives and bring hope to innocent children.’