Expanding our school feeding programme in Mozambique
Serving daily school meals to more than 5,000 children in Mozambique provides hope for families facing “emergency” levels of hunger.
Last year, we announced expansion of our school feeding programme to Mozambique in Southern Africa. Since June 2024, we’ve been delivering daily meals to more than 5,000 children from 30 schools living in the Mabalane District of the country’s Gaza province – bringing them hope of a brighter future.
But why Mozambique?
Living in extreme poverty
Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking 183 out of 193 countries and territories in the 2023 UN Human Development Index. Almost 65% of Mozambique’s population live below the international poverty line ($2.15 per day), which is staggering considering more than half (56%) are children. IPC projections suggest that 3.3 million people are facing “crisis” or “emergency” levels of food insecurity.
The country is also plagued by violence, particularly in the north. Since 2017, the province of Cabo Delgado has been the focus of an ongoing Islamist insurgency. Fighting broke out again between December and March 2024, forcing more than 100,000 people to flee their homes. Among those displaced, roughly 60,000 are children, and reports say 129 schools have been closed.
Millions of children attend schools without a school feeding programme. The Global Child Nutrition Foundation report found that in 2021, school feeding programmes were reaching less than 5% of all primary school children in Mozambique.
The need for daily meals in schools
We chose Mozambique – and the Mabalane District area in particular – because it has very high need yet low school feeding coverage. Sadly, 25% of the population in Mabalane are facing high levels of food insecurity, and we found a universal need for daily meals across schools in the area.
Mozambique is also in a region where Mary’s Meals has great experience, strong relationships and high capacity to implement school feeding, as we already work in countries close to Mozambique, including Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Currently, this Southern Africa region is experiencing its worst drought in 100 years – and in Mozambique, people are facing “emergency” levels of hunger.
With extreme weather and climate-related challenges, Mozambique often experiences a catastrophic mix of drought and flooding. For example, Cyclone Freddie major problems in Mozambique in 2023 and torrential rains caused by Tropical Storm Filipo hit Mozambique in March 2024 affecting more than 149,000 people, including many in Gaza Province where Mary’s Meals operates. Our determination to reach the most vulnerable children meant Mabalane District made sense for a Mary’s Meals expansion.
Collaborating with a local partner
We looked at various potential partners in Mozambique and are delighted to be working with a small organisation called Mozambique School Lunch Initiative (MSLI).
Being attuned to the complexities of geography and political and cultural dynamics in the region, MSLI is helping us to work in challenging contexts we might otherwise be unable to access. Our values are strongly aligned and MSLI has great capability for implementing our programme
“This programme couldn’t have come at a better time,” said a community leader in Kokwe. “There is nothing in the fields, and with the lean season upon us, I don’t know what would have happened.”
Many of the schools we are reaching in Mozambique have never had a school feeding programme before. With your support, we can provide hope for even more children in the Mabalane District.
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. Mary’s Meals is currently serving nutritious daily meals to more than 1.5 million children in schools across Southern Africa. Now, more than ever, your support is needed to spread the word about our work and the emergency in the region. With your support, we can reach many thousands more children waiting for our daily meals.
Erin Pratley is our Director of Programme Development & Operations. She leads a team that supports our programme implementers to ensure daily delivery of Mary’s Meals, as well as innovating our programme and assessing the impact of our work.