Children in Glasgow will be eating for many today, as Cordia gives a boost to international charity Mary’s Meals.
The partnership, now in its third year, will see children try to raise £10,000 for the charity, making a contribution to Mary’s Meals for every portion sold in school Fuel Zones across the city.
Themed around the title of ‘Meals for Malawi’, this year’s campaign follows on from two highly successful fundraising drives which took place in 2011 and 2012.
Last year’s push saw Cordia reach the £10,000 mark, which built a cooking facility for Milonga school through the ‘Pitch In for the Kitchen’ project, while in 2011 the ‘Step up to the Plate’ initiative raised enough for Mary’s Meals to provide over 300,000 meals for school children in the African country.
Since the kitchen funded by Cordia was built, attendance at Milonga school in Southern Malawi has increased by 719, with the school roll now over 2000. Children are encouraged to come to lessons knowing they will receive a meal at lunchtime. Food intake also improves all-round productivity, boosting educational prospects in the process.
Mary’s Meals currently supplies 822,142 meals on a daily basis in 16 countries across the world. The organisation can feed a child in Malawi for a full academic year for only £7. Children are nourished with a nutritious porridge-style meal called likuni phala, and over 620,000 young people in the land locked South-East African nation rely on this meal from the Scottish-based charity every day.
Speaking about Meals for Malawi, David Melvin, managing director of Cordia said: “This is the third year of a highly successful partnership with Mary’s Meals. We have managed to feed children across Africa while improving performance in the classroom, which is hugely important.
“Mary’s Meals is involved in such great work all over the world and it is initiatives like these which help them to achieve such incredible results. Furthermore, healthy eating and learning are two things which are hugely important to our organisation, continually aspiring towards higher nutritional targets for children in the city.
“Once again, I am sure the campaign will be yet another success and I hope we reach the £10,000 total for Mary’s Meals.”
Mary’s Meals has become a Glasgow institution for its tireless efforts to tackle poverty and hunger by setting up effective school feeding programmes across the world over the last 11 years and, aside from its work in Malawi, the charity provides meals as a learning incentive in a further 15 countries around the globe.
Daniel Adams, Head of UK Fundraising for Mary’s Meals, said: “Mary’s Meals is based on the idea that if everyone who has enough shares a little of what they have with those who don’t have basic things, we can help to make the world a better place.
“Cordia’s support is a perfect example of how lots of people working together can make a huge difference, and it’s great to see that the campaign allows children in Glasgow to learn about their counterparts in other areas of the world, too.
“By enjoying a meal from Fuel Zone with their friends, school kids across Glasgow will be sending a clear message to children in some of the world’s poorest communities that they have not been forgotten and their health, education and future matters. We are very grateful to all those who are taking part. Bon apetit!”
