At the inaugural World Leaders Summit on Children’s Rights on 3 February, Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, founder and CEO of Mary’s Meals, made a compelling case for the ‘Right to Hope’ while addressing global leaders on the urgent issue of child hunger.
Speaking to an audience that included Pope Francis (pictured above during the World Meeting of Families, Dublin, 2018), Queen Rania of Jordan, former Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, former US Vice President Al Gore, and Mario Draghi, Italian economist and EU advisor, MacFarlane-Barrow highlighted the profound need to provide a daily school meal to children in the world’s poorest nations.
“It would cost just over US $3bn per year to ensure every child receives a meal every school day,” Mr MacFarlane-Barrow stated, emphasising that there is no excuse for failing to keep this promise to the world’s most vulnerable children
The summit, held at the Vatican, attracted political and faith leaders from around the globe, who engaged in discussions on the rights of children and the international responsibilities to protect them. A Concluding Declaration was signed by attendees, affirming that children’s rights continue to be widely violated, that indifference to their plight must end, and that nations must take greater responsibility to ensure a global commitment to child protection and peace.
Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow’s personal story, which led to the creation of Mary’s Meals, resonated deeply with summit participants. He recounted a life-changing encounter in 2002 with a hungry 14-year-old boy in Malawi, whose family was suffering from extreme poverty.
The boy expressed his simple wish: “would like to have enough food to eat and to go to school one day.” This conversation ignited the idea for Mary’s Meals, which now feeds over 2.5 million children daily in 16 of the world’s poorest countries.
Following the summit, Mr MacFarlane-Barrow expressed immense gratitude for the opportunity to speak on behalf of Mary’s Meals, saying, “It’s a privilege to represent the Mary’s Meals family and be the voice of the children we serve.” He noted the summit opened many new doors for the organisation, garnering significant interest in its work. He added, “I’m now looking forward to returning home to my shed and family in Scotland.”
Pope Francis, who attended the summit, pledged to continue promoting children’s rights globally. He announced plans to prepare an Apostolic Exhortation dedicated to advocating for children’s rights, ensuring that the commitment to these issues remains strong.
While currently operating in more than forty countries, global charity Mary’s Meals was established in Ireland in 2005 and since then has built strong support across the country, with generous donations from individuals, businesses, and more than twenty supporter groups.
These supporter groups are made up of hard-working, fun-loving volunteers who raise awareness and drive fundraising in their local area. Supporter groups bring in just under half of Mary’s Meals Ireland’s funds annually.
For more information on Mary’s Meals and how they are making a difference, visit www.marysmeals.ie.
