Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, Chief Executive of Mary’s Meals, flew into the Somalian capital Mogadishu on Wednesday 7 September aboard a plane carrying much needed food aid for a country in the grip of famine and drought. It is estimated that 3.7 million people, almost half the population, in Somalia are now suffering from a humanitarian crisis.
This consignment of around 20 tonnes will be followed by further consignments totalling 100 tonnes in all, and will provide around 900,000 meals for those affected by famine in Somalia, in a joint initiative by Mary’s Meals and, Gift of the Givers, the largest disaster relief organisation of African origin.
“It’s been amazing to visit the feeding centres and see the food that only two days before had been in Malawi reaching people in desperate need, but also overwhelming to see at first hand the sheer scale of this human tragedy,” said Magnus.
“Like everyone else, we have been horrified by the images of suffering children and the scale of the need in Somalia, but initially we did not see an opportunity to work effectively there and until now have concentrated our response to northern Kenya where we have worked for many years.”
“However, when our trusted partners established themselves in Mogadishu and began effectively distributed food to those suffering most there, it made it possible for us to help, simply by sourcing food in Malawi, where we have a large operation, for direct transport into Mogadishu.
“We are delighted that we can now use donations to save lives in a place where so many are suffering.”
Until recently, getting aid into Somalia has been difficult due to security concerns, but Gift of the Givers has been able to gain secure entry and exit. Gift of the Givers are trusted partners of Mary’s Meals and have a long-standing relationship with them in Malawi, where Mary’s Meals currently provides over 479,000 daily meals to hungry children in a place of education. Gift of the Givers has a philosophy of encouraging African aid for Africa.
The food being bought by Mary’s Meals is nutritious maize-based porridge Likuni Phala – the same food Mary’s Meals provides to children at its projects in Malawi. This is being sourced locally, thereby supporting the Malawian economy.
The balance of the 100 tonnes of food will not be air-freighted but will be loaded onto containers in Malawi and transported to the coast before being shipped to Somalia. The aid delivery to Somalia is the latest effort being made by Mary’s Meals to support people affected by the crisis in East Africa, where it is already feeding over 24,000 children with a daily life-saving meal in northern Kenya.
If you would like to support the East Africa Emergency Appeal set up by Mary’s Meals, please visit our donation page or call 800-385-4983.
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