Discover how you’re helping Edda to follow in the footsteps of her motorbike-riding hero.

Back to all stories | Posted on 05/18/18 in Children's stories

Like many children in rural Malawi, 14-year-old Edda’s day begins long before the sun rises.  
 
She wakes at 4am to sweep the house and fetch water before meeting her friend Raquel for the long walk to school.  
 
“My best friend is Raquel,” Edda says. “We are in the same class and we play a lot together. Because we are from the same village, we walk to school together.” 
 
Money is tight at home. Edda’s school uniform has been mended many times and she makes the 4km journey to Mdidi Primary – a small, rural school in a remote part of Chileka in southern Malawi – barefoot.  
 
Edda is usually hungry by the time she arrives at school, and she relishes the steaming mug of Mary’s Meals porridge, which is served each day before lessons begin.  
 
“Phala (porridge) gives me energy to work hard in class,” she says. “When I eat phala, I have energy all day. I even have energy to walk home when I finish school.” 
 
The nutritious porridge helps Edda to concentrate in class and make the most of her education. It also gives her plenty of energy to play netball at breaktime.


 
“I am happy when I come to school because I get to play with my friends,” Edda says. “My favourite subjects are English and Chichewa.  
 
“I want to be a teacher when I am older, so I can promote education in this area. I admire my teacher because she is independent, and she rides a motorbike. 
 
“When I finish school, I want to be independent and earn money to support myself,” she adds. “I don’t want to live with my parents forever.” 
 
In Malawi’s poorest and most remote communities, daily school meals don’t just fill empty bellies, they help children to gain an education which could be their escape from poverty in the future.  
 
Thank you for giving Edda – and so many others – the hope of a life free from hunger.