蜜桃交友

By Francesca Merlo

"If the children we met this morning, hungry and waiting for a meal, were in the same room as people in London or New York, they would be fed immediately."

After meeting a young boy who told him how he shivers from hunger, Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, Founder and CEO of Mary鈥檚 Meals, shares his simple appeal to humanity to always look beyond. Sitting in the Mary鈥檚 Meals warehouse in Lilongwe, Malawi, and surrounded by sacks of Corn Soy Blend, MacFarlane-Barrow shares the urgent and simple mission of Mary鈥檚 Meals: that no child should be hungry. And the charity has been working hard to fulfill this by providing one meal a day to children in places of education.

What was once a small initiative, starting out in a garden shed in MacFarlane-Barrow's family home in Scotland during the Bosnian war, is now a global movement that feeds nearly 2.5 million children daily, across 16 of the world鈥檚 poorest nations.

Empowering local communities

In an interview with Pope, MacFarlane-Barrow describes the generosity of those who, spread across the world, support Mary's Meals and contribute in some way. One of the great things, he adds, is the number of young people who are involved in schools everywhere in the world. However, he says, "at the heart of the work are the volunteers, especially in countries like Malawi, who rise early every morning to cook and serve these meals for children in their own communities鈥�.

The charity couldn't run without the volunteers - members of the community and sometimes parents of the children in school. Once Mary's Meals provides the needed resources, the volunteers take over the programme. The meal, in the case of Malawi and other countries in Southern Africa, is Corn Soy Blend (CBS) - or porridge -  and Mary's Meals makes sure that whenever possible the ingredients are locally sourced, so as to support local farmers and economies.

A mission aligned with Pope Francis' teaching

Although Mary鈥檚 Meals is not a Catholic agency, its work is deeply shaped by Catholic social teaching. At its core, MacFarlane-Barrow emphasises, is a deep respect for human dignity and a commitment to the common good. "Mary鈥檚 Meals is a work done in the name of the Mother of Jesus", MacFarlane-Barrow reflects. "At the same time, it is universal - everyone of goodwill is invited to take part in this mission".

It's a message that strongly resonates with Pope Francis鈥� pontificate. As the Pope of the peripheries, Pope Francis has continually called attention to the world鈥檚 marginalised communities, our brothers and sisters in need. Mary鈥檚 Meals is on the frontline answering this call to action, reflecting the culture of encounter that the Pope so often calls for in its work.

"We want to be where the need is greatest," says MacFarlane-Barrow noting that this "often means working in places affected by war, unrest, and displacement". It is difficult, he adds, "but we stay faithful to these communities."

In fact, as Pope Francis continues to pray weekly for areas ravaged by conflict, for migrants fleeing persecution, and for the rights and dignity of each human person, Mary鈥檚 Meals remains steadfast in some of the world's war-torn countries, feeding children in Ethiopia's Tigray region or Haiti or even South Sudan, where the conflict has caused what is described as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. But they are only able to continue operations in such areas thanks to local partners who, MacFarlane-Barrow notes, "don鈥檛 leave when war breaks out鈥� but rather stay, 鈥渂ecause it鈥檚 their home".

But, he continues, "one day, we want to be redundant. We want to see countries like Malawi free from poverty, running their own school feeding programmes. Everything we do now must keep that in mind".

About a shared humanity

MacFarlane-Barrow reminds us that at a time in which we are all engrossed in our own problems and wealthier nations feel overwhelmed with crises, even the smallest of acts can make an enormous difference. 鈥淚t costs just £19.15 (22鈧�) to feed a child for a whole school year," he says. "That鈥檚 about 10 pence per meal. Everyone can do something." It's such a small price that it seems hard to believe, but it's true: the price of one meal out for many of us can feed a child for a whole year.

However, Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow also stresses how important it is that none of their supporters ever feel like human ATMs. He insists that it is a matter of a shared humanity and that "if this work is done as it should be, it makes everyone鈥檚 lives better - including those who give". So often, he adds, "people thank us, saying their lives have changed since they started sharing". 

Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow will be representing Mary's Meals on the 3rd of February, when the Vatican will host the World Meeting on Children's Rights. On that occasion, responding to the global challenges millions of children face each day, advocates from all over the world will speak on the pressing issue of child's rights in a world ravaged by injustice and conflict. 

An infinite belief in the innate goodness of people

With millions of children still hungry, the work of Mary鈥檚 Meals is far from over. But MacFarlane-Barrow remains steadfast in his belief in the innate goodness of people, conscious that this mission all started when he took a lorry of donations to Bosnia, many years ago. 鈥淚 made a small appeal during the Bosnian War, and I was overwhelmed by people鈥檚 kindness. That鈥檚 still what drives this today."

From that moment to feeding the first 200 children in Malawi in 2002, MacFarlane-Barrow never would have imagined that today they would be present across the world, constantly growing, and feeding more and more children.

Through the culture of love that Pope Francis so often calls for, through trust and 鈥渢hrough prayer鈥�, Mary鈥檚 Meals continues its mission with zeal and dedication because for every child fed, there鈥檚 always one more waiting.