International charity Mary’s Meals has urged citizens to recognise the impact of simple and practical action in addressing child hunger as the international community observes World Hunger Day.
Mary’s Meals said in a statement yesterday that the day, which falls on May 28, is a reminder that ending hunger, which affects millions of people around the world, requires collective effort.
The organisation said it was marking the day by highlighting the collective effort behind the more than three million school meals it serves to children every school day.
“For more than two decades, Mary’s Meals has worked on the belief that there is enough food in the world to feed everyone and that no child should be denied an education because of hunger,” reads the statement.
Mary’s Meals currently provides nutritious meals in schools across 16 countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
learners. | Courtesy of Mary’s Meals
In Malawi, Mary’s Meals reaches out to more than a quarter of all pre-primary and primary school children, with thousands of volunteers helping prepare and serve meals.
According to the organisation, it spends about K43 708.92 to feed one child for a full school year.
“This year’s World Hunger Day reminds us that ending hunger is not someone else’s task. It is in our hands. At Mary’s Meals, we live that truth every day in the many hands that make each of our meals possible,” the statement quotes Mary’s Meals founder and chief executive officer Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow.
Malawi is marking the 2026 World Hunger Day under the theme ‘The end of hunger is in our hands’ amid a challenging food security landscape with stakeholders emphasising practical and community-led solutions to combat the global scourge.
The Global Hunger Index 2025, shows Malawi has improved its score from 43.3 in 2000 to 22.0.
But despite the progress, the index shows 21.4 percent of the population remains undernourished with child stunting at 33.2 percent.
The day was founded in 2011 by The Hunger Project to call attention to the global food crisis.
