eexxttrraae-magazine for mary’s meals supportersIssue no 2 - June 2009

FFeeeeddiinngg AAllbbaanniiaa’’ssFFuuttuurree GGeenneerraattiioonn

wweellccoommeeWelcome to the June issue of MMaarryy’’ss MMeeaallss EExxttrraa, our quarterly e-bulletin. The Mary’s Meals Extra is designed for those of youwho want more information and is aimed in particular at those ofyou who fundraise and spread the word about Mary’s Meals. We hope it will be a useful resource that you can draw on.

The Mary’s Meals Extra is designed for those of you who wantmore information and is aimed in particular at those of you whofundraise and spread the word about Mary’s Meals. We hope itwill be a useful resource that you can draw on.

- You may want to reproduce parts of it for your own publications– great!

- You may be able to share some of the stories in it with yourcolleagues/church /family & friends – wonderful!

- Or, as the Mary’s Meals family grows in number, it might justbe that you want to keep up to date with the news from otherfamily members.

However you choose to use the Mary’s Meals Extra we hope itwill support you in all your Mary’s Meals endeavours! As alwayswe welcome your feedback and any ideas on how we couldimprove things.

IINN TTHHIISS IISSSSUUEE

Albania is a country experiencing rapid change as it recovers froma brutal past. The people helped by Mary’s Meals are theextremely poor and vulnerable whose poverty is often hidden andeasily overlooked. They seem to have been left behind.

You will find more about our work in Albania in this issue of theMary’s Meals Extra. You will also find stories from some of ourother projects and also news from the Mary’s Meals Family ofsupporter groups.

Every family I met in Albania thanked me for the help we provide.Their ‘thanks’ belong to you. Thank you as well for all you do toraise awareness about Mary’s Meals and to fundraise. I hope thisissue of the Mary’s Meals Extra is a help to you.

RRuutthh BBllaacckk -- CCoommmmuunniiccaattiioonnss,, MMaarryy’’ss MMeeaallss

CCoonntteennttssKey FiguresProject NewsFundraising NewsMary’s Meals UK News Mary’s Meals Global News

mary’s meals extra e-magazine for supporters page 1

KKeeyy FFiigguurreess

Bosnia 73 Haiti 12208

India 2036Kenya 7385

Liberia 15000Malawi 315630

Philippines 845Romania 34

Sudan 2666Thailand 1012 Uganda 5849Ukraine 160Zambia 246

total = 363, 144

Number of children receiving a daily meal in their place of

education at June’09

mary’s meals extra e-magazine for supporters page 2

Total number of childrenreceiving a daily meal inschool = 363, 110

Average cost of Mary’sMeals per child per year= £8.40/€9.56/$13.35

Cost of Mary’s Meals perchild, per year in Malawi= £6.15/€7/$9.77

Number of Back Packs delivered to date =120,362

PPrroojjeecctt NNeewwss

Food runs out. We met many suchfamilies; people who can all tooeasily slip through the cracks of afractured society. In one school wevisited, 11 year old Rovina, summedup their experiences in a song.

TThhee ssoonngg ooff tthhee PPoooorrCold is the room where I live,I lead my life tied with the ironhandcuffs of poverty.I am poor but I am not a worm Spring will exist for me tooSpring will exist for me too

mary’s meals extra e-magazine for supporters page 3

AAllbbaanniiaa VViissiitt bbyy RRuutthh BBllaacckkA few weeks ago I visited Albania forthe first time. Our friends took me ona journey to visit some of the familiesthat are helped by your donations;people who survive because of thefood your donations buy.

Mary’s Meals is providing help tofamilies in several remote mountainvillages in the Mirdita district.Malnourishment is widespread – ashigh as 90% amongst the children insome areas. They eke out a living onsmall-holdings but do not growenough to see them safely throughthe winter.

Rovina’s voice wavered with shyness as she stood up to sing. Herclassmates listened in silence glancing over at us now and again to seewhat we were making of it. She sang about hunger. About childrenbeing cold and hungry.

“I have the taste of poverty in my mouth. My mouth is full of it”

This is not just a traditional lament. Rovina is singing about somethingshe and the other pupils experience first hand. They live high in themountains in the Mirdita district of Albania. The population here is thehuman remains of Albania’s particularly harsh communist era.

The scars from the past are everywhere to be seen in this lonely village.The regime sent 5 000 political prisoners here, forcing them to work asminers. When communism came to an end, and the camp abandoned,only those too poor to move were left behind. There is no paidemployment and our friends tell us that 90% of the children aremalnourished. The winters here are severe with temperatures droppingto -20 and heavy snow falls cutting them off from the outside world fromthe end of November to March. The brutal cold is often the last strawfor people already weak. Quite simply the food runs out. Many arereduced to living off a ‘soup’ made from flour boiled in water.

Thanks to your donations we have been supplying basic foodstuffs tothe most vulnerable families; widows, parents struggling to look aftertheir handicapped children and families living in dilapidated houseswith no water, power or even a proper roof to withstand the snow. Eachautumn they receive a ration of flour and oil to help them survive.Everywhere we went they expressed their gratitude for this help. So Inow pass their thanks on to you who made it possible. This simpleassistance has undoubtedly saved lives. Joseph, who coordinates thework on the ground kept saying, “Yes the food is making a greatdifference but perhaps even more important is that they realisesomeone cares about them.”

He should know - he was 6 years old when his family was sent to thislabour camp. He knows because he has lived in this desperate poverty

himself. For the last 18 years he has devoted his time andenergy to getting help to them.

We would like to do more for children like Rovina bysetting up a Mary’s Meals project in 3 schools in thearea. It will address the children’s need for more

protein and vitamins and keep them well so they cango to school.

“Spring will exist for me too”, Rovina sings. Andher song stays with us as we make our way backdown the mountains. As always we rely onyour help to make this possible.

aallbbaanniiaaAAllbbaanniiaa AAppppeeaall 22000099

If you would like to find outmore about our Albania Appeal please visitwww.marysmeals.org

YYoouu ccaann mmaakkee aa ddoonnaattiioonn bbyyccaalllliinngg 00880000 669988 11221122

YYoouu ccaann aallssoo ddoonnaattee oonnlliinneebbyy cclliicckkiinngg hheerree >>

mary’s meals extra e-magazine for supporters page 4

Total number of childrenreceiving a daily meal inschool = 363, 110

Average cost of Mary’sMeals per child per year =£8.40/€9.56/$13.35

Cost of Mary’s Meals perchild, per year in Malawi =£6.15/€7/$9.77

New Staff at Mary’s Meals MalawiThere have been some changes in the Mary’s Meals Malawi team as, PeterNkata, has decided it is time to step down from his role as Country Director.

Peter has been involved with Mary’s Meals from thevery beginning of the project in 2002.

Over the period he has seen Mary’s Meals grow froma project feeding 200 children in one school inBlantyre to a country-wide programme deliveringdaily meals to over 300 000 school pupils in over 200schools and nurseries. We are grateful for all Peterhas done to help Mary’s Meals develop over the last6 years.

We know he will remain a friend of the charity and we wish him all the very bestfor the future. Meanwhile, Andrea Kirkbride, who has been working withMary’s Meals Malawi for the last 6 months, has taken on the role of CountryDirector. Malawi remains of key importance to Mary’s Meals and we lookforward to continuing to develop our work with the team that is in place there.Andrea writes an article below:

The Fig TreeBByy AAnnddrreeaa KKiirrkkbbrriiddee,, CCoouunnttrryy DDiirreeccttoorr

When I visited Chirimba Primary recently Ifound over 15 mums waiting to take theirturn in cooking this morning – some hadwalked the regular 7Km from the village ofKameza, getting up at 5am to be here by6am.

The only reason they come to the school isto cook for the children. There is no pay, no allowance, no incentive – otherthan the strongest one for mothers – to feed their children. The Headmistressof Chirimba - Chrissie Seunda told me that she has never any problemsgaining the attention or involvement of parents in the children schooling andtheir education. Meetings are well attended, and they all realize thateducation will change the future of their children’s lives – so they come. Evenladies who do not have children at the school – general well-wishers andsupporters of the community come to help out.

I asked what they chat about as they chop firewood, drag the heavy stovesand pots from the stores and prepare to cook the Phala? “They strengtheneach other. They chat about their lives – their husbands! they share and solvetheir problems”.

Before Mary’s Meals arrived at the school, women would gather around a largeFig Tree in the village to pound what maize they had to share. Now they referto the Mary’s Meals shelter as “The Fig Tree” – a place where they preparefood for their children as they always tried to do, and support each otherthrough the trials of life.

The oldest of our volunteers could not tell me her age – only that she was bornin 1948! - the youngest is just 20. There are 4,715 pupils at Chirimba schoolranging from standards 1 to 8 (5 years old to 13 years). 78 teachers areemployed to teach them. Most children come from the village of Charimba,where most of their parents scrape a living trading second-hand clothes orfoodstuffs in the market-place. There is no ‘unemployment’ because there isno ‘employment’ – you just ‘make’ a living here – however you can.

mmaallaawwii

New Country Director - Andrea Kilbride

Peter Nkata

mary’s meals extra e-magazine for supporters page 5

MMaallaawwii BBlloogg ssiittee::You can read about Malawi andMary’s Meals via the blog byAndrew Parker, Mary’s MealsProject Officer Mary's Meals inMalawi:

http://marysmealsinmalawi.wordpress.com/

The Headmistress and teachers were very keen to convey how grateful theyare for Mary’s Meals and how much they want to see the programmecontinue. March is the most serious time in Malawi with respect to foodsecurity – just before the harvest. When I asked a group of children abouttheir day – particularly about the morning before they come to school, theystruggled to tell me. “Bathing”, they told me. When I asked what they hadto eat for breakfast, their faces puzzle? “So what do you have to eat beforeyou come to school?’ I ask. Puzzled faces. “We come here” “Yes we eathere”.

I shake a hundred hands before I climb back into the truck. One little voiceshouts – “last one, last greeting before you go” – he wants to be the last toshake my hand and see me on my way. He is a beautiful boy. A Malawihandshake – 3 shakes, 3 positions. I look him in the eyes - “Study well, workhard – make sure you are an important man some day! OK?”

“Yes - I am going to be the President of Malawi”

mary’s meals extra e-magazine for supporters page 6

Expansion Plans In Malawi

Balaka district is one of the districts in the Southern region of Malawi. It isalong the Blantyre-Lilongwe M1 road, some 120 kms from Blantyre. It is adrought-prone district that suffers months of food shortages every year.Because of this, most pupils attend classes with empty stomachs. We haveidentified this district as a priority area for school feeding.

We would like to help, and our plan is to bring Mary’s Meals to Balaka assoon as we can and so provide another 10 000 children with a daily meal inschool. Having working in Malawi for 7 years there is now a well-testedprocess for expanding into a new area. It means lots of meetings! Meetingswith the District Executive Committee, meetings with the schools, meetingswith teachers and PTA groups and meetings with community leaders. Thenvolunteers from the local community have to be found.

These new volunteers all attend a series of training sessions that make surethey know how the Likuni Phala (maize porridge) is cooked, how the RocketStoves are used and maintained and general hygiene good practice.During the course of all these meetings, Mary’s Meals Officers highlight whatis expected from the community and what they in turn can expect from MarysMeals. In this way everyone who has a part to play in the business of makingMary’s Meals a reality is clear about their role.

We hope the children of Balaka will be enjoying a hot mug of porridge everyday very soon.

HHiinncchhee RReevviissiitteedd BByy LLaauurraa HHaammiillttoonn,, PPrroojjeecctt OOffffiicceerrMary’s Meals in the Central Plateau area reaches 3,000 children inover 7 schools. While visiting Trois Roche community primary school,I was astounded at the difference in some of the children from myprevious visit a year ago. They looked healthier, and more vibrant.Trois Roche is only 30 minutes from the village of Hinche, but there isa stark contrast in this area. It’s dry, almost barren looking. Iwondered how the local families survived on subsistence farming.

Some of the newer, younger children, but much fewer than last year,have tinges of red in their hair; a sign of malnutrition. This is one ofthe only schools I’ve seen in Haiti where some of the children are notin uniform, which is unusual within a primary school system where itis mandatory that children who attend possess a full uniform andshoes. The Head Teacher said he could simply not refuse thesechildren as the parents just could not afford the uniforms. Mary’sMeals is vital here. The daily meal of rice or beans with corn and asmall helping of fish and tomato based sauce may be the only mealthat these children receive in a day.

During her visit Laura met and talked with the people who benefitfrom Mary’s Meals – people like Marilene who is a volunteer cook atEcole Pape Jean XX111. Marilene has 4 children and has beenvolunteering at the school since January 2008. She has two childrenat the school who benefit from Mary’s Meals, a 10 and a 12 year old.

‘Before the programme started, the children experienced dizzinessand stomach pain. Now they have food everyday and they learnbetter and feel good. It helps the children advance and learn better.All of the community have children in the school, and Mary’s Mealsencourages parents to send their children to school.’

Pierre Jean Kesnel is Head Teacher at the school. The differenceMary’s Meals is making is very clear to him, ‘Before the programme,there were many difficulties, less children came to school. Theywould leave home without eating and say they had a stomach acheby 9:30 am. Because of the programme, more children come. Theparents know that when the children come to school, they will find ameal to eat. Otherwise, they might spend the whole day withoutfood.’

‘I see more concentration from the children than before theprogramme. They can concentrate more when they know they will getfood.’

hhaaiittiiPopulation = 9.4 million

Population on less than adollar a day = 54%

Less than 2% of children will finish secondary school and onlyjust over half of all primaryschool age children are enrolled inschool.

Proportion of children under5 who are underweight =22%

Life expectancy = 60 years

statistics: UNICEF, UNDP

mary’s meals extra e-magazine for supporters page 7

phot

o: w

ww

.chr

isle

slie

.co.

uk

‘‘CCrruussttyy BBooyyss’’ -- cchhiillddrreenn ssuurrvviivviinngg oonn ssccrraappss iinn LLiibbeerriiaaBByy LLiieessbbeetthh GGllaass,, CCoouunnttrryy DDiirreeccttoorr

Six months ago I moved my office work to the Oscar Romero School.The staff remains in our office at the St. Benedict Technical Schoolrunning the distribution from there. But I needed a bit more peaceand quiet to do the ever increasing office work. And the quiet washard to find at the St. Benedict. And that is mainly due to the CrustyBoys.

The Crusty Boys used to start coming in around ten o’clock in themorning. They are dressed in rags. Bits of rope hold the trouserstogether so they do not slide down. Shirts are sometimes only bits offabric hanging together by threads and the color has long faded. Barebutts stick out of the back of trousers of which the seat is gone.

They are a scruffy, crusty bunch. And one of the first things they dois poke their heads around our office door and wave at us saying “HiSis Liz”. Than they go around the back to where the kitchen is wherethe Mary’s Meals food is being cooked for the St. Dominic students.The whole lot finds a place under a tree in the shadow and they wait.What are they waiting for? They are waiting for The Crust.

“What Crust” might you think. Well, the rice crust. Cooking for thelittle children from the Kindergarten that eat at 10.30 in enormouspots leaves a tick crust of half burned rice in the cook pot. And thatis what the boys come for. After the schoolchildren eat they get theCrust. Since I like to go amongst the children when they are eating tocheck out the food, I noticed the Crusty Boys long ago. They look onso hungrily while the other kids eat that it is almost too painful towatch. And when the pot with the Crust comes they sit around it withup to 15 boys, and it is all divided up.

Some times peacefully and sometimes not. And than they will hangaround until the big children come to eat at 12.30. And this hangingaround is preferably done outside my window under the shade of ourroof. And that is were the Crusty Boys and I got to know each other.During their hanging around time they sit and talk. And talk veryloudly and occasionally scream at each other. It is very hard to worknext to them.

So one time I went outside to find out who they really were and getthem to be more quiet. And I found out that some of the Crusty Boyswere out of school but some were in school. And most of those wentto a school they referred to as “in the Market”.

And why were they not at school? Because of “no food in the house”.So they go to school hungry and their school did not provide food. Soafter an hour or so they would sneak out and start hunting for food.This is the reality for kids living in Liberia. Most families get by on adaily basis.

Sometimes food is there and many times it is not. Children wake uphungry, go to school hungry and when they come home in the

lliibbeerriiaaLiberia is one of thepoorest countries inthe world with a percapita gross domesticproduct of US$135.

Food insecurity iswidespread.

64 percent of thepopulation are poor.

The child mortalityrate is among the fivehighest in the world.

39 percent prevalenceof chronic malnutritionin children under 5 isreaching criticallevels.

mary’s meals extra e-magazine for supporters page 8

mary’s meals extra e-magazine for supporters page 9

afternoon there is no guarantee that a meal will be waiting for them. Most of the time they come home to empty rundown mud houses withhardly a roof on them. Than they sit down and wait to see if a parentwill come back with food.

The Crusty Boys took me to their “in the market” school. Its actual nameis Valley Center School. And it is not really a school. It is a bunch ofteachers with a lot of little kids. They are sitting in an open palaver hutwhich they have divided into “classrooms” by locally woven mats.

They are the kids that cannot afford school fees. So when the happynews came from Scotland that we could start feeding more children westraightaway put the Valley Center School in. They were overjoyed! Andsince then we have gone back to them distributing backpacks, clothesand blackboards.

So the number of Crusty Boys hanging around our office has reduceddrastically. Those who were not in school mostly have registered andare going to school now. Most schools in Tubmanburg receive Mary’sMeals so there is a good reason to go to school. The Crusty Boys nolonger depend on the Crust only. They get a bowl of rice with soup.Guaranteed every schoolday!

Other Project News:A Triple Wedding in Romania

A very special celebration is due to take place on 26th June. Not one butthree of the girls who have grown up in Iona House will be gettingmarried. Adela and Sorin, who announced their engagement last year,will be joined by Ana and Ildi who are marrying two brothers, Csabi andAttila. Ibi, who has been ‘mother’ to the girls since they came to live inIona House, is overjoyed that after such a terrible start in life the girlshave grown into young women who can love and be loved.

A testament to her care I am sure and the most beautiful andunexpected outcome to this labour of love that has been the Iona Houseproject. We look forward to including some pictures in the next issueof this newsletter.

Valley Centre School - Liberia

LLiibbeerriiaa BBlloogg ssiittee::You can read Read the latestfrom our Liberia project inLiesbeth Glas’s blogi:

http://marysmealsinliberia.wordpress.com/

Stories from the Street

At least 200 street children, boys and girls, are recipients of the Mary’s Mealsfeeding program held every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday in DumagueteCity. These children roam the city streets from morning to around 10 in theevening selling; snack food, rugs, peanuts or simply begging.

Jake is one such child. He is 12 years old. He arrives around 5pm to collectgarbage from businesses. He collects cardboard, plastic, tin cans and othergarbage materials that can be sold at the junkshop. He also collects leftover food from restaurants as it can be sold as pig’s meal. He tells us thathis life is difficult. His mother has Tuberculosis while his father earns a smallamount as a chainsaw operator. His three days income from garbage collectionwill be used to buy a few kilos of rice.

Jake added with a smile, “ Maayo nalang gani kay gipaka-on mi ni Lola” “It’s good to get the meals from Grandma” (referring to Project Coordinator,Virginia Villahermosa) “At least we can eat good and delicious food three timesa week.”

Manang also benefits from this Mary's Meals programme. She counts on themeals her children receive through Mary’s Meals each week. The whole familyearn a living from collecting junk from garbage bins. Even the youngest childwho is just three years old accompanies them. She enjoys riding in in thecarrier on her older brothers bike.

Manang says that despite the many hardships of her life she never fails tothank God for the good health of her children that she puts down to thenutritious food her children can rely on having 3 times a week.

pphhiilliippppiinneessPopulation= 86 million

Population on lessthan a dollar a day = 15%

Proportion of childrenunder 5 who are underweight = 28%

Life expectancy = 71 years

statistics: UNICEF, UNDP

Feeding the Street Children

mary’s meals extra e-magazine for supporters page 10

BIRTHDAYS, ENGAGEMENTS, ANNIVERSARIES, WEDDING, A NEW BABY, GRADUATION,

RETIREMENTS, THANK YOU, GOLDEN WEDDINGS, GET WELL SOON, HAPPY EASTER,

SILVER WEDDING, THINKING OF YOU, FIRST COMMUNION THOUGHTS, A NEW JOB,

A MESSAGE ON YOUR CONFIRMATION…

Cards that are smiles better

for every special occasion.

Cards that say…

“Thinking of you …thinking of them”

A donation of £10 for a delightful gift card will feed a child for a year.

Want to give more? There are plenty of children to be fed…

Email: info@marysmeals.org

w w w. m a r y s m e a l s . o r g

Charity number: SC22140

ffuunnddrraaiissiinngg nneewwss

mary’s meals extra e-magazine for supporters page 11

TThhaannkkss ttoo tthhee ggeenneerroossiittyy ooff PPrriimmaa CCoommmmuunniiccaattiioonn aanndd MMeeddiiaa LLttdd.. wwee aarree

ddeelliigghhtteedd ttoo ooffffeerr 44 nneeww ccaarrdd ddeessiiggnnss ffoorryyoouu ttoo cchhoooossee ffrroomm..

AA ddoonnaattiioonn ooff ££1100 ffoorr aa ddeelliigghhttffuull ggiifftt ccaarrddwwiillll ffeeeedd aa cchhiilldd ffoorr aa yyeeaarr aanndd iinn rreettuurrnn

yyoouu wwiillll rreecceeiivvee aa ccaarrdd ttoo ppaassss oonn ttoo yyoouurrffrriieennddss aanndd ffaammiillyy..

To order cards please call 0800 698 1212

mary’s meals extra e-magazine for supporters page 11

mmaarryy’’ss mmeeaallss UUKK nneewwss

““II tthhoouugghhtt wwee ppuutt iinn aa lloott ooff hhaarrddwwoorrkk jjuusstt ccoolllleeccttiinngg aa ffeeww ddoozzeennbbaacckk ppaacckkss,, bbuutt wwhheenn II sseeee aallll tthheetthhoouussaannddss ooff BBaacckk PPaacckkss hheerreellooaaddeedd iinn tthhiiss lloorrrryy iitt rreeaallllyy bbrriinnggsshhoommee tthhee iimmppaacctt tthhiiss pprroojjeecctt iisshhaavviinngg..””

Rev Deryck Collingwood, Rector ofSt Mary’s Episcopal Church Edinburgh

mary’s meals extra e-magazine for supporters page 12

mary’s meals extra e-magazine for supporters page 13

UUKK -- CCoonnttaaiinneerr BBlleessssiinnggIt is always a great event when a container lorry arrives at our warehouse inGlasgow to collect the latest consignment of gifts sent in by supporters. It ishard work too! As in so many things we rely on a band of volunteers to helpload the material on to the lorry. Watching these lorry loads head off andthinking about the work and the love that lies behind every one, we thoughtit might be a good idea to give them more of a send off!

We intend inviting different faith representatives to come along and bless thelorry and its cargo. We hope this gesture will give everyone involved a fewmoments to reflect on the generosity of all the people who have contributedto it, the people who will receive the gifts and also just allow them to savourthe fruits of their labour in getting the next lorry loaded and on its way! Lastweek the latest container load left Glasgow en route for Malawi.

It was filled with backpacks destined for children receiving Mary’s Meals andwho can not afford these very basic items. And, the Rev Deryck Collingwood,Rector of St Mary’s Episcopal Church Edinburgh, very kindly accepted ourinvitation to come along and bless the load! He and his parishioner are longstanding supporters of Mary’s Meals so it wasn’t too hard to persuade him! More photos can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/marysmeals

MMaatteerriiaall AAiidd UUppddaatteeBByy SStteepphheenn CCooxx,, GGllaassggooww WWaarreehhoouusseeThe material aid department is running like a well oiled machine at themoment! So far this year we have sent out six container loads of aid to ourprojects overseas, and the warehouse is more organised than it has been ina very long time. We send material aid loads out to five of our overseasprojects; Malawi; Liberia; Romania; Uganda (Masaka); and Uganda (Kampala).The idea behind sending material aid is that the items that we send will helpthe project partners deliver the projects in a more effective way. Also, it isusually the case that the items we send are difficult or expensive to source inthat country.

In Malawi the loads are comprised of mainly school materials – backpacks,backpack extras, books, blackboards, teaching materials etc. These items gohand-in-hand with the school feeding programme by helping the children whoattend school gain an education. Malnourishment and lack of schoolequipment are huge barriers to education in Malawi, and by providing mealsand school supplies we are helping break down these barriers.

The Liberia loads are the most varied that we send, mainly because our projectin Liberia has so many aspects to it. A typical load could contain: tools andsewing machines for the technical school; basic medical supplies for thehealth clinic; and sports equipment for the local primary and secondaryschools. We have also sent out two motorbikes that were donated, for theMary’s Meals/SIR Liberia team to use when monitoring the projects that areslightly further afield.

There are two Mary’s Meals projects in Uganda, one in the capital Kampala,and one in Masaka, which is slightly more remote. We usually try and sendthese together, as by sending them both on the same container ship it is quitea bit cheaper than sending them separately. The Kampala load goes to FatherJohn Scalabrini’s team, and this is mostly made up of school books, bothsecondary and primary. Father John distributes these to the local schools,most of whom will be receiving Mary’s Meals too. Again, as well as providingthe children with a meal, we also provide them with some of the tools theyneed to gain an education.

The Masaka load goes to Father Silvester’s team to distribute, and this is madeup of backpacks only. We have sent one container to each Uganda project sofar this year, and we will hopefully be in a position to send two more loadsbefore too long. Our final destination for material aid loads is Romania. Wehave yet to send a truck to Romania this year, however the load is building upnicely and we will be in a position to send one before too long. We use road

freight for the Romania loads because the truck is over in the UK having deliveredsome commodity from Romania (usually timber) and we catch it on the way backand get a reduced rate - always looking for a bargain!

The loads to Romania are made up of supplies for our friends in Iona House andthe surrounding areas, and can be anything from basic toiletries and clothing toschool materials and craft supplies. Again, we try and keep this in line with theoverall project aims, and send only what will help them deliver the project in amore effective way. Over the past few years the backpack project has really takenon a life of its own, and this year is no exception. So far this year we have sentout over 20 000 backpacks, and the donations are not showing any signs ofslowing down. The backpacks are by far the largest part of the material aid, withdonations coming in from the four corners of the UK on a regular basis. I hearthat is now up and running in Germany too!

Thank you to everyone involved in material aid/the backpack project, whetheryou are helping load containers, packing backpacks, doing school talks, orwhatever – it is all coming together and we are making a huge difference! CCoonnttaacctt iinnffoo@@mmaarryyssmmeeaallss..oorrgg ffoorr mmoorree iinnffoorrmmaattiioonn oonn mmaatteerriiaall aaiidd ddoonnaattiioonnss..

Mary's Meals Wales / Pryday Mary CymruAlmost a year to the day since Mary's Meals Wales was launched, donationshave passed the £500,000 mark.. Some donations have been in the hundredsof thousands, others a few pounds but each contribution has made a significantdifference and helped Mary's Meals feed over 360,000 children each day intheir schools. Speaking at a “Evening with Mary's Meals “ held in Cardiff thecharity's Chief Executive and founder Magnus McFarlane-Barrow said ," It'sabsolutely amazing to see the way Mary's Meals has taken on a life of its ownin Wales. The amount raised is staggering in such a short space of time." Thedonations come from individuals, schools, businesses and has been greatlyhelped by the generosity of a significant donation of £200,000 from Henry andDiane Engelhardt. Diane is well known in Wales for her charity work and Henryis the Chief Executive Officer of Admiral Insurance , the only FTSE listed companyin Wales.

However, this is only part of the story . In January 2009 Nick Barton, the firstWelsh Regional Co-ordinator, was appointed and a strategy has been createdto help develop Mary's Meals in Wales. Part of this strategy involved the creationof a Regional Advisory Group which consists of 10 individual volunteers who willhelp guide future activity. This group has now been established but we arelooking for more people to join.

The priority for Wales, is to establish a network of volunteers in all major regionsto help raise funds and further develop the Backpack Project. Hence a majorrecruitment drive led by Nick is well underway . So far events in Swansea andHaverfordwest have taken place and a number of volunteers have come forwardin North Wales. The event held in Cardiff led to the direct recruitment of 12enthusiastic volunteers and invitations to speak to a number of organisations inSouth Wales. Volunteers in Wales continue to hold a variety of events from asoup lunch organised by Uskmouth Rotary Club which raised over £700 to AllSaints Parish , Newport, Ceilidh which is expected to raise over £500 but equallyimportant was the badge making carried out by 9 year old Claudia Phipps andher friend Olivia which raised over £20. Well done to you all ! Diolch yn fawr lawn! TToo ffiinndd oouutt mmoorree eemmaaiill :: nniicckk..bbaarrttoonn@@mmaarryyssmmeeaallss..oorrgg oorr ccaallll 0011663333 442200332211// 0077882244553366774455

AAnn AAwwaarrdd ffoorr MMaarryy’’ss MMeeaallss??Mary’s Meals has been nominated for a prize in the UK Charity Awards 2009 inthe International Aid and Development category. The judges shortlisted Mary’sMeals because of the charity’s “outstanding work in helping to combat worldhunger”.The winners will be announced at gala dinner in London on 11th June. Even if we don’t go on to win a prize we are delighted to have reached this stage.As Daniel Phelan the Charity Awards 2009 organizer says’“By being shortlisted,Mary’s Meals has already demonstrated that it is among the best-managedcharities in the UK”

mary’s meals extra e-magazine for supporters page 14

nneewwss ffrroomm tthhee gglloobbaallmmaarryy’’ss mmeeaallss ffaammiillyy

JJoohhnn PPrriiddmmoorree ooff MMaarryy’’ss MMeeaallssIIrreellaanndd vviissiittss LLiibbeerriiaa ttoo sseeeeMMaarryy’’ss MMeeaallss pprroojjeeccttss iinn aaccttiioonn

mary’s meals extra e-magazine for supporters page 15

MMaarryy’’ss MMeeaallss IIrreellaannddBByy MMaatttthheeww,, MMaarryy’’ss MMeeaallss IIrreellaanndd2009 has already proven to be a year with great strides forward in collectingfunds to support the feeding programme. Since January we have had twospecial fundraising evenings organised by people who had heard about thework of Mary’s Meals and wanted to get involved first hand and raiseawareness to others in their communities. One event was held in Limerick ata hotel which featured a Gala dinner, entertainment, and talks by MagnusMacFarlane-Barrow and John Pridmore.

Another was held in Ballymoney, Northern Ireland, by a local business manwho used the parish centre to host talks, power- points, and set up a supportgroup, who would work on finding new ways to fundraise in and around theirneighbourhood.

Each parish that we visit throughout the year holds a collection on a Fridaynight, and it has been an amazing response of generosity from the Irish people,and in addition to this, every week we receive more cheques and standingorder forms in the post. In May John Pridmore travelled to Liberia to see firsthand the work being carried out by money that has been fundraised in Irelandto open new feeding shelters and support students with their daily meal. Hemet with children soldiers who had been affected by the violence of the civilwar that spread throughout Liberia over the last decade. Many of those formerchildren soldiers now receive Mary’s Meals and an education at their localschool helping to restore their lost childhoods. Fr. Gary a SMA Priest who hasworked with the people of Liberia for over 30 years looks after more than 100of these children in his local school.

The Back Pack Project is expanding and already 3,000 school bags andsupplies have been collected and with a new school year beginning shortlythis number will certainly grow. During one presentation to a primary school inCo. Leitrim one young girl began to cry watching ‘A Back Pack’s Journey’, as shesaw other children who were living in poverty and were malnourished. A bigreason why the project has proved so successful is that the students have sucha capacity see the needs of others and are eager to get involved and do theirpart. We are looking forward to taking part in the second InternationalConference held in Medjugorje, where we shared ideas, encouragement andstories about how Mary’s Meals has grown over the past two years. Newsupport groups are forming around Ireland as word spreads.

Our website www.marysmeals.ie was launched in April where videos and linkscan be found by those who want to discover Mary’s Meals and its aims, all atthe push of a button. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all thosewho have supported Mary’s Meals Ireland, through monetary donations,volunteering their time, and remembering its work in their prayers.

FFoorr mmoorree iinnffoo pplleeaassee ccaallll 0000 335533--8877--336622--33999966 oorr eemmaaiill iinnffoo@@mmaarryyssmmeeaallss..iiee

John Pridmore in Liberia

mary’s meals extra e-magazine for supporters page 16

JJoohhnn PPrriiddmmoorree BBlloogg ssiittee::You can read John Pridmore’sreflections on this trip toLiberia at: http://gangland-to-promised-land.blogspot.com

mary’s meals extra e-magazine for supporters page 17

MMaarryy’’ss MMeeaallss GGeerrmmaannyyBByy SStteepphheenn,, MMaarryy’’ss MMeeaallss GGeerrmmaannyy"I hope you like my backpack, many greetings from Jessica". This is a small letterwith a few little hearts painted on it. Again and again we found such ,or similarletters among the backpacks which we collect since spring this year. They testifyto the fact how much children and young people let themselves be touched bythe many hardships of other children and young people in Africa. They gladlywish to help personally and concretely

In Germany we are only 3 volunteers available for the backpack project. Thestarting of this project since March 2009 therefore, is a big adventure for Mary'sMeals Deutschland e.V. We need to produce informative material, organisepossibilities of storage for the backpacks, and transport them from everywherein Germany to our main warehouse in Wiesbaden. Much work needs to be donein the warehouse.

We are being asked many questions, get many requests from donors or schools,and in this way are being kept on our toes day by day. New situations ariseconstantly and we are happy for any help which will help us resolve them. Wehave collected about 1400 backpacks. Our aim is to collect 8000 of them (a bigcontainer), but the road towards that number is still long. Newspaper articleswere published, and by means of contacting a special emaildistributer, manyschools could be contacted and new schools join us every day. The interest forthis project is great and therefore we are confident that we shall be able to reachour goal soon.

Over and over again it is touching for us to see with how much love the childrenpack the bags and what thoughts they have: "I have good pencils. The child inMalawi must also have good pencils." We live an experience which makes usfeel that we are on the receiving end ourselves: It is the readiness of the pupilsand teachers to help, the love and the joy with which they wish to bestow giftsupon the children.

We are very curious in our expectation to see how the project will continue inGermany. FFoorr mmoorree iinnffoo ccaallll 00770000//88008866 88008866 oorr eemmaaiill iinnffoo@@mmaarryyssmmeeaallss..ddee

AAuussttrriiaaLots going on in Austria too and more anticipated as they have found themselves awarehouse that could store up to 5 000 Backpacks! Donations continue to come fromthe people of Austria and the next edition of Gebetsaktion magazine will includeanother appeal for Mary's Meals. FFoorr mmoorree iinnffoo ccoonnttaaccttEE:: ooaassee@@ooaasseeddeessffrriieeddeennss..aatt WW:: wwwwww..mmaarryyssmmeeaall..aatt

MMaarryy’’ss MMeeaallss IIttaallyyAlessandro Termini, a musician and composer from Sicily, is poised to spreadthe word about Mary’s Meals. He travels to many Parishes performing hissacred music, and is in contact with many people. This will be a great help ingetting the news out. Augusto Monacelli, our friend from Rome, has translatedof the Mary’s Meals texts and we will make sure Alessandro is kept well suppliedwith material to distribute!

For more information - TT:: ++3399 0066--9988335599886666,, EE:: iinnffoo@@mmaarryyssmmeeaallss..iitt WW:: wwwwww..mmaarryyssmmeeaallss..iitt

See the latest Mary’sMeals images on Flickr

Flickr is an online photomanagement and sharingapplication enabling users to.show off favorite photos andvideos to the world.

Mary’s Meals has a wideselection of images on the itsown page on the Flickr site, visithttp://www.flickr.com/photos/marysmeals

MMaarryy’’ss MMeeaallss UUSSAAA teacher in Nevada collected 110 backpacks with her third grade students.These were picked up last week and are now on their way to a warehouse inPalm Beach so they can be sent to Haiti where they will be distributed tochildren receiving Mary’s Meals in places like the shanty town, Cite Soleil. Aschool in Palm Beach has also collected 30 backpacks so we will be sendingthose along too.

We have begun to receive some donations through the website and in the mailand we are now on the list of the Bill Gates Foundation matching gift Programwhich is great. Mary’s Meals supporters in Chicago are taking on the challengeof raising the money needed to cover the feeding costs in the Malawi schoolkitchen their donations have supported. They have fundraising eventsplanned over the coming months and the aim is to get people to sign up todirect debit donations.

Meanwhile American students from Steubenville University in Ohio who haveopted to do a year in Austria have rallied round to support Mary’s Meals. Theirfundraising highlight seemed to be persuading their priest to jump into an icycold river….You can watch the fun (and shiver along with them) on YouTubehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oml6-pxTN_I

FFoorr mmoorree iinnffoo ccoonnttaacctt::EE:: iinnffoo@@mmaarryyssmmeeaallssuussaa..oorrggWW:: wwwwww..mmaarryyssmmeeaallssuussaa..oorrgg

MMeeddjjuuggoorrjjee IInnffoo PPooiinnttIn Medjugorje the Café is thriving, in spite of the fact that we had to give backhalf of our space to our Landlord. Many Pilgrims from different countries cometo visit and bring us gifts like Tea bags and biscuits. Our happy and very helpfulvolunteer from Dalmally, Mary Downie is enriching us by her presence. She isvery popular with our visitors, as she is such a good listener. She also givesgood talks about Mary’s Meals.

Megi who is from Herzegovina, is the reason why we can keep the café. Sheis busy translating all which needs translating, and keeps the relationshipswith all our neighbours. In Medjugorje this is very important. Laurence, isadministrator, together with Tony, and keeps our project near Sarajevo alive,as well as our finances. We are a grateful Team and wait for everybodyinterested in Mary’s Meals, in sharing their life changing experiences inMedjugorje or in having a good laugh over a cup of tea and biscuits!

TT:: 338877 ((00)) 3366 665511220066EE:: iinnffoo..mmeeddjjuuggoorrjjee@@mmaarryyssmmeeaallss..oorrgg

Mary’s Meals FamilyGathering 2009

MMeeddjjuuggoorrjjee,, BBoossnniiaa--HHeerrzzeeggoovviinnaa 1155--1199tthh JJuunnee

It’s not too late! If you would liketo attend a week of inspiringtalks from our project partners(from Malawi, Liberia,Philippines to name a few.)

You will also be able to: hearsupporters from around theworld talk about why they areinvolved in Mary’s Meals, takepart in practical workshops onfundraising and chat in cafeswith newly made or longstanding Mary’s Meals friends.

You will be most welcome!If you would like some advice onhow to get there and where tostay please contact us:TT:: ++4444 ((00)) 11883388220000660055EE:: iinnffoo@@mmaarryyssmmeeaallss..oorrgg

CCoonnffeerreennccee BBllooggIf you can't make the conferenceyou can still stay involved in theweek's events through asupporter's blog. http://joeblogsmarysmeals.wordpress.com/Joe's reflections and photos willgive you a window on the week

mary’s meals extra e-magazine for supporters page 18

wwhhoo wwee aarreeIInn ccaassee yyoouu aarree rreeaaddiinngg tthhiiss wwiitthhoouutt aannyy pprriioorr kknnoowwlleeddggee ooff tthhee

cchhaarriittyy aanndd wwoonnddeerr wwhhoo wwee aarree,, hheerree iiss aa bbrriieeff ssuummmmaarryy

Mary’s Meals is a movement to set up school feeding projects in communitieswhere poverty and hungry block children from gaining an education. Thismovement is administered by the charity Scottish International Relief (SIR).SIR came into being during the Bosnian conflict in 1992. Two brothers, Magnusand Fergus MacFarlane-Barrow, were so moved by the scenes on TV that theydecided to organize an appeal for blankets and food in their local area, Argyll, Scotland.

They quickly gathered a jeep load and joined one of the convoys leaving the UKand delivered the aid to Medjugorje in Bosnia, a place of internationalpilgrimage they had visited with their family years previously. Believing theirgood deed done they returned to Scotland expecting to resume their jobs asfish farmers. However they came home to discover the public had carried ondonating aid in their absence filling their parents' garage with goods. Magnusdecided to give up his job for a year to drive the aid out for as long as the publickept donating. The public did not stop and it soon became necessary to set upa registered charity.

The charity began to work in Romania, building homes for abandoned children,and in Liberia, helping returning refugees by setting up mobile clinics, whilecontinuing to deliver material aid to Croatia and Bosnia. In 2002 Magnus meta family in Malawi that led to a whole new area of work. The mother was dyingof AIDS and lying on the floor of her hut surrounded by her 6 young children

When Magnus asked her oldest son what he hoped for in life, his stark replywas, 'To have enough to eat and to go to school one day," This encounterprompted the campaign, Mary's Meals, that aims to help children like this byproviding a meal a day in school. In this way the children are encouraged togain the education that can lift them out of poverty in later life.

This simple but effective idea has gathered momentum and today providesdaily meals for over 350 000 of the world’s poorest children. Our headquartersis still situated in the grounds of Craig Lodge, Argyll, but support groups arespringing up around the world.

Mary’s Meals HQ Craig Lodge, DalmallyIn Scotland

mary’s meals extra e-magazine for supporters page 19

oouurr vviissiioonnIs that all those who have more than

they need, share with those who lack even the most basic things, and that

every child receives one daily meal in their place of education

MMaarryyss MMeeaallss iissaaddmmiinniisstteerreeddtthhrroouugghh SSccoottttiisshhIInntteerrnnaattiioonnaall RReelliieeff

AA ccoommppaannyy lliimmiitteedd bbyy gguuaarraanntteeee..CCooyy NNoo.. SSCC226655994411 RReeggiisstteerreedd CChhaarriittyy SSCCOO2222114400

CCrraaiigg llooddggee,, DDaallmmaallllyy,, AArrggyyllll,, PPAA3333 11AARR TTeell:: ++4444 ((00))11883388220000660055 EEmmaaiill:: iinnffoo@@mmaarryyssmmeeaallss..oorrgg

wwwwww..mmaarryyssmmeeaallss..oorrgg