Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow
“To some it may seem odd, perhaps even stupid, to retain the HQ of a global organisation in this lopsided and tired-looking shed, in a very remote part of Scotland. But being here helps remind me how and why we began this work.”
Who is Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow?
Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow OBE is the founder and CEO of the charity Mary’s Meals, a non-profit organisation that provides life-changing meals to some of the world’s poorest children every school day. Mary’s Meals is currently serving more than 3 million children in communities where hunger and poverty would prevent children from gaining an education.
Early beginnings
In 1983, a pilgrimage to the Marian shrine of Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina renewed Magnus and his family’s Catholic faith and led his parents to convert their guesthouse into the Craig Lodge Family House of Prayer, a Catholic retreat centre.
Magnus started his career as a fish farmer in Argyll, Scotland. In 1992 during the Balkan conflict, he and his brother Fergus were so moved by scenes of the conflict on television that they took a week’s leave from their jobs, loaded a jeep with aid and joined a convoy travelling to Medjugorje to distribute it.
On their return, donations continued to flood in, resulting in Magnus eventually driving from Scotland to Bosnia-Herzegovina a total of 23 times to deliver vital supplies. Magnus never returned to his old job and instead set up a registered charity called Scottish International Relief (SIR).
Mary's Meals is born
