An update from Ethiopia
Although years of violence, food insecurity and hunger continue to take their toll, with your help, we’re now feeding more than 110,000 children in Tigray every school day.
In 2024, we shared stories from Tigray, Ethiopia, where years of brutal conflict and drought have devastated communities.
We heard heartbreaking stories from families who had completely run out of food, mothers who had to choose which of their children to send to school and which to send out to look for work, and many others who were forced to beg to survive.
With hardly any focus on the situation in the global media, we asked you to listen to these stories from Tigray and to open your eyes and your hearts to their suffering.
You responded with generosity and compassion.
Tripling school feeding in Ethiopia
Before 2024, Mary’s Meals was serving around 30,000 schoolchildren in Tigray. We launched our “Crisis in Ethiopia” appeal in February 2024, and your phenomenal response has enabled us to more than triple the reach of our school feeding programme in the region.
With your support and the commitment of community volunteers, we are now serving vital school meals to more than 110,000 children in Tigray every school day.
Children who were having to work to try to feed themselves have been able to return to the classroom, children who were too hungry to learn can now pay attention in lessons. Children who were desperately hungry can now rely on the promise of a nutritious meal every school day.
Cautiously optimistic for the future
We know the unpredictable climate and the trauma of the past few years continues to hamper recovery. Conditions are still extremely challenging – the devastating impact of years of fear, violence, displacement and hunger is taking its toll. The region is in the midst of a critical time for farmers as they await the harvest season.
Sister Medhin, who leads our partner organisation in Tigray, told us that the outcome of this harvest season “will determine whether a massive catastrophe will occur.” But despite fears for the future, she also speaks of a “cautious hope for better prospects”.
But Mary’s Meals is a sign of hope. In schools across Tigray, 110,000 children are now receiving vital nutrition through the meals we provide every school day. Their classrooms and communities have seen real change because this growing number of children can rely on school meals.
We often speak about Mary’s Meals not being about big numbers, but about the next child who is waiting for Mary’s Meals. And while we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the life-saving support you have given in response to this emergency, we also look ahead to what more can be done.
More work to be done in Tigray
We asked Sister Medhin what her message would be to those who supported the campaign. She said: “To everyone, as always, we want to say thank you. Thank you for your kindness, for your trust and your touching support.”
“We only want to share that there is a lot more going on behind the numbers you see on the news or media. Each number is a story of a human being who has lived through unforgiving and harsh conditions.”
“We ask that you open your hearts to the plights of the children who have seen too much and done too much while surviving heartbreaking circumstances. We are struggling to ensure that they will bear as few scars from all that has happened as possible, and we are doing our best to make sure that they become productive members of our community when they grow.”
“On their behalf and on behalf of all the vulnerable people who depend on us, we ask that you do what you can to be a positive change in the world.”
Shona Shea is our Senior Content Manager and has worked closely with our programmes teams for the last 10 years, to collect and share the stories of our work with supporters across the world. Last year she spent time with our partner in Ethiopia, visiting schools and communities in Tigray.
It costs just £19.15, €22, $25.20 USD or $31.70 CAD to provide a child with school meals for an entire school year. Learn how the promise of a daily meal at school enables the children we serve in Ethiopia to receive an education.