Providing a brighter future for children in India
The promise of a daily meal in school is helping children in India build robust foundations for the future.
Published onMary’s Meals has been serving meals to children marginalised by poverty in India since 2004. Our school meals provide an incentive for children to attend school regularly, where they can find a safe place to learn and play.
The promise of a daily meal in their place of learning is especially important for children from households with unpredictable incomes, helping them build robust foundations for the future.
In this article, we get a glimpse into the lives of Stella, Sanjit and Sushila – three Indian children who receive Mary’s Meals in their place of education.
“I want to be a nurse”
Stella has been attending her school in India for a few years now and she’s settled in well. The 15-year-old had to relocate to live with her uncle when her mother and father moved away from the area for work. She hasn’t heard from or seen them in a long time and really misses them.
School is a welcome distraction, and she loves learning, especially Hindi. But hunger is a constant struggle. The food she receives from Mary’s Meals at school makes it possible for her to attend. And she’s not alone – many of her classmates also go to school classes on an empty stomach.
But Stella has a clear plan for her life, and she’s determined to make it a reality. She says: “I want to be a nurse so I can earn a living and have a family.”
“It’s often my only meal of the day”
Sanjit is 13 years old and lives in Dabri – a rural part of Jharkhand state, India. Sanjit’s father died in 2021. Without his father’s wage as a labourer, the family’s income came to a standstill, and his mother had to move away to find work making bricks. There was no school in that area, so Sanjit moved in with his aunt and uncle in Dabri.
Although Sanjit has been through a lot, he’s optimistic things will get better. The education he now receives and the food he eats each day from Mary’s Meals is a huge part of this. “There were times when there was nothing to eat at home at all,” he says. “But now I feel positive, like I have a brighter future. I love the food, it’s often my only meal of the day.”
Sanjit dreams of becoming a police officer so he can make a difference in his community. He says: “I want to serve the country. And then I will be able to give money to my mother.”
“When I eat here, I get energy and feel good”
Sushila walks 16km to and from school every single day – a journey that takes her through woodland, up and down winding roads, and even straight across a river. Although she’s used to the journey, she’s happy to receive a meal every school day: “If I didn’t get Mary’s Meals at lunchtime, I’d struggle to have the energy to walk home,” she says. “There are many times when I don’t eat before school, so, when I eat here, I get energy and feel good.”
Sushila’s father died a few years ago, leaving her mother unable to look after her. Sushila now lives with her grandparents and uncle, a few hours from her mother. This means they only see each other once a year. She says: “I feel happy at home. But I miss my mum.”
Despite this, Sushila smiles at the mention of how much she enjoys school. She’s made good friends with the other children – like Runita, her closest friend. She says: “We study together, and we also play. I feel good when I’m with her.”
Mary’s Meals in India
Mary's Meals supports thousands of children like Sushila, Sanjit and Stella – and more than 55,000 children across four states in India – who don’t have enough food at home.
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 more about our work in India and how the promise of a daily meal in their place of education enables the children we serve to receive an education.
Paige Boxshall is one of Mary’s Meals’ Programmes Relationship Managers, whose role it is to maintain strong relationships with our Programme Partners and coordinate the support we provide so that they are able to deliver high-quality feeding programmes as effectively and efficiently as possible.