For the month of February, we will be supporting the work of Mary's Meals as they serve nutritious food and education to impoverished children all over the world. Over the last quarter, Mary's Meals expanded to over an additional 131,500 children across over 265 schools in Zambia, Ethiopia and South Sudan.
In Zambia, . . .
The country is continuing to recover from its worst drought on record (2023/24), when some regions received less than 50% of their usual annual rainfall as a result of the effects of El Niño. This has affected food production and has had an impact on food insecurity. Working in collaboration with representatives from the Zambian Ministry of Education and other key stakeholders, Mary's Meals was able to significantly expand their programming targeting vulnerable communities impacted by the drought by delivering a consistent and efficient program. In September and October 2025, they expanded to over an additional 100,000 children across over 190 schools in Zambia, building on earlier successes in expanding to the Northern province.
In Ethiopia
The Tigray region was torn apart by a major conflict, and many of those who were displaced by the fighting have only recently been able to return to their villages. Following more than three years of disruption to their education, children are returning to the classroom. But with the situation as it is, they desperately need school meals to be able to stay in school. At the end of 2023, Mary's Meals reinstated their school feeding program across the region and have since undergone rapid and extensive expansions in response to the urgent need. They are now reaching more than 245,000 children with much-needed daily meals every school day.
We are pleased to share the results from Mary's Meals' most recent impact study in Ethiopia:
Prior to the school feeding program, 72% of children feel hungry at school (60% of girls and 83% of boys). Once the children started receiving meals, this dropped to 0% for both boys and girls.
Prior to the school feeding program, 68% of children leave school early at least once a month due to hunger (63% of girls; 73% of boys). This dropped to 0% for both boys and girls once the children started receiving meals.
Parents shared that school feeding is “motivating us” to send their children to school, as the assurance of a daily meal makes school more appealing for children, improving attendance and reducing absenteeism.
Prior to the school feeding program, 88% of teachers stated that though there are conflicts and some disagreements between students, they displayed good conflict resolution. Once the children started receiving meals at school, 100% of teachers described the classroom as a peaceful environment, thanks in part to the daily meal.
In South Sudan
Mary Help Association (MHA) has played a vital role in re-establishing schools abandoned after years of conflict, supporting communities to build food stores and train volunteers to cook for children. As one of the few organizations delivering consistent school feeding in South Sudan, Mary's Meals sources maize and beans from outside the country due to limited local production, transporting them via Juba along highly insecure routes. Despite the challenges on the ground, over the quarter, MHA expanded its programming to reach more than 20,000 additional children in over 40 schools across Western Barh el Ghazal, South Sudan.
Highlights & Challenges of 2025
In 2025, Mary's Meals announced that they had reached the milestone of feeding more than 3 MILLION CHILDREN with a daily meal, in schools worldwide, a significant achievement! Over the year, they also expanded to over 660,000 additional children across over 1,300 schools in Ethiopia, Haiti, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, South Sudan, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
In a remote village in Malawi, where hunger has long hindered community development and education, the arrival of Mary’s Meals is sparking a powerful transformation. The local primary, Namingwere, was one of a number of schools they expanded to. This year Mary's Meals continues to build on their evidence base of the impact of the school meal in the communities where they work.
Throughout 2025, Mary’s Meals continued to deliver life-changing school feeding programs despite significant challenges across multiple regions. From political unrest in Ethiopia, Haiti, and Madagascar to the worst drought in a century across Southern Africa, devastating floods in Mozambique, and school closures in South Sudan, Yemen, and Zambia. Their commitment to ensuring children receive a daily meal at school remains unwavering, even amid political instability, natural disasters, and humanitarian crises.
The Tigray region of Ethiopia experienced heightened political instability following leadership changes, exacerbating an already severe humanitarian crisis. Fuel shortages and logistical challenges made program delivery increasingly complex. Nevertheless, through close collaboration with local contacts, Mary's Meals was able to maintain school feeding operations and deliver essential supplies despite these obstacles.
Haiti remained one of the most challenging contexts throughout 2025. In the first quarter, despite escalating gang violence and political instability, schools continued to operate, and more than 190,000 children received daily meals thanks to the tireless efforts of local partners and volunteers. Conditions worsened in the second quarter, with over 5.7 million people facing acute food insecurity and armed gangs expanding their control over Port-au-Prince and surrounding regions. Even amid these severe constraints that have only continued to escalate, the program in the Central Plateau continues uninterrupted, providing critical support.
Southern Africa experienced its worst drought in 100 years. An estimated 21 million children were suffering from malnutrition, and the UN called for action to avoid a full-scale humanitarian catastrophe in the region. The impact of drought on food security is severe, and people are facing “emergency” levels of hunger. Extreme weather in the region such as Cyclone Jude also exacerbated existing food insecurity for vulnerable communities. Mary’s Meals continues to provide a lifeline to families in four of the worst-affected countries in the region - Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe - by serving nutritious daily meals to children in school.
In the first quarter of the year, South Sudan faced extreme weather conditions that led the government to mandate school closures for two weeks starting in late February. This interruption affected education and temporarily disrupted school feeding activities, highlighting the vulnerability of programs to climate-related challenges.
Goals & How You Can Help
In September, Mary’s Meals USA hit the road with its very first Simple Solution Tour, a brilliant way to introduce the organization to new communities and deepen connections with existing supporters. Their founder and CEO, Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, travelled to the U.S. to support the tour, celebrate their 3 million milestone and spend time with supporters. The tour spanned three cities across Kentucky and Ohio, with events hosted at a mix of venues: universities, schools, churches, and even a brewery! One of the highlights of the tour was a gathering that brought together ambassadors from 18 different states. This event marked the official launch of MM USA’s Ambassador program, which doubled in size in 2025. MMUSA is projected to finish 2025 with the highest total donations in USA National Affiliate history, at $22M.
Mary's Meals' chief goal is to maintain 2,429,182 children enrolled across Mary’s Meals’ global school feeding programs and following expansions, continue to reach more than 3 million children every school day across global programs.
Looking back on 2025, Mary's Meals had this to say about YOU - our Rooted for Good Community. Let's keep the support going into 2026. Through the 10% from your sales, children's lives are being changed:
"We are deeply grateful for the steadfast support of Rooted for Good. Thanks to your commitment, Mary’s Meals has not only maintained stability across our global school feeding programs but also achieved remarkable progress – reaching over 3 million children and sustaining high attendance and feeding rates despite challenges.
Your generosity continues to be a driving force behind our mission, enabling us to reach new areas of need and keep classrooms full of hope and opportunity. Together, we are building a future where every child can learn free from hunger. Thank you for standing with us and for believing in the transformative power of education and nourishment. We look forward to continuing this journey with you in 2026."
Growing and Learning Together,
Anna Ketterling