My name is Bright. I go to Thunga Primary School [in Malawi], and live with my mother, my brother, and my sisters. My favourite time of the day is when I chat with my friends after school. We talk about school, study together, and encourage each other to work hard. 

“Hunger takes away your happiness” 

Most of the time, we do not have enough food to eat. It is difficult to balance the cost of buying fertiliser [for farming] with all the other needs we have at home. The money we earn from the small jobs we do is not enough to cover everything we need. When it comes to having enough food, it is very difficult to cope. 

Hunger makes life difficult and prevents people from reaching their full potential. When you are hungry, your priority becomes finding something to eat. Searching for food can take up all your time, and before you realise it, days can pass without going back to school. Missing out on education in this way can change the direction of your future. 

When I am hungry, I do not feel well. I feel hopeless and start believing that nothing good is happening in my life, even when there are good things around me. I worry a lot and sometimes wish I could just run away and go somewhere else. Hunger takes away your happiness and makes it difficult to see hope for your future.

“I often worry about my life” 

School is going well, although some of the materials I need for my studies are difficult to find. Despite these challenges, I always make sure that I attend school because I believe getting an education is my responsibility. With the final examinations approaching, I am working hard and doing my best to pass my exams this term. 

I sometimes do small jobs, such as watering vegetable gardens, to earn extra money. The most I usually receive for a day’s work is 2,000 Malawian kwacha (around €1). I use the money to buy some of the things I need for school, such as clothes. However, these are only a few of the things I can afford, and there are still many other things I need.

I often worry about my life because I am always trying to find ways to take care of myself. My mother wants to support me, but she cannot afford to provide everything I need. As a family, we struggle financially, and with the high cost of living, it is becoming harder to manage our daily needs. When I have children of my own, I want them to have opportunities that I did not have. I want them to attend better schools and experience a different life, where they do not have to face the challenges I have faced.

“Receiving porridge will help our education” 

Receiving porridge at school [from Mary’s Meals] will help us with our education. When our teachers are speaking, we will be able to understand and follow what they are teaching because we will be able to concentrate instead of thinking about hunger. This support will make a big difference by helping us stay focused and learn better. 

It will also help my family because it will reduce the burden on my mother of finding food for us every morning before we go to school. She will have peace of mind knowing that we have something to eat while we are at school, and she can focus on providing our evening meal.

Mary’s Meals bringing the school feeding programme to our school has shown us how committed they are to helping us. We are very happy and grateful.

Thanks to generous supporters and local community volunteers who believe in the power of daily school meals, Mary’s Meals was able to launch a programme at Thunga Primary earlier this year. Before school feeding began, we interviewed pupils, staff, and parents about their current situation and their hopes about how nutritious daily meals would improve their lives.

It costs just €22 (EUR) to provide a child with nutritious school meals for a whole school year. Make a donation this Christmas and fuel a child’s learning in school.