Mary’s Meals responds to drought across southern Africa

According to the World Food Organisation, 27 million people are food insecure due to the impact of the drought.

Charities said southern Africa faced an unprecedented drought caused by El Niño, the recurring climate event which intensifies either dry or stormy weather patterns.

Prolonged dry spells during the crucial 2023/2024 planting season led to widespread crop failures and livestock losses in a region where 70 per cent of the population depends on agriculture.

According to the World Food Organisation, 27 million people are food insecure due to the impact of the drought. An estimated 21 million children in the region are suffering from malnutrition, with many more weakened by hunger or unable to focus in school.

Last year, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe declared states of emergency as the drought – reportedly the worst in a century – caused food, seed, and fertiliser prices to skyrocket. Households unable to plant, harvest, or afford to buy seeds or enough food face acute food insecurity at crisis levels.

The Catholic charity Mary’s Meals has provided school meals in the region for years, but has reached around 1.5 million children across the four countries since the crisis.

“There are already millions of children suffering malnutrition across southern Africa and we know that for the children who are part of our programme in that region the meal they receive in school is often the only nutritious food available to.them in a day,” said Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, founder and chief executive of Mary’s Meals.

“The health, wellbeing, and futures of children in areas of extreme food insecurity are already under threat, so it’s imperative that we continue to grow our global movement and work alongside communities to deliver sustainable school feeding,” he told The Tablet. “We are determined to both keep our promise to the children we already serve, while expanding our programme in areas of greatest need as funds allow.”

The effort has had tremendous impact on education. Isaac Njobvu from the Zambian village of Malande said his four children attending the Mary’s Meals-supported Nkhuzyeni Primary School needed food to last through the day.

“The biggest challenge right now is hunger, because of the prolonged drought and lack of rainfall,” he told The Tablet. “I have five children, and four of them are at the school. The porridge makes a big day to day difference for my family, it really helps that parents know their children will get food at school.”

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