Cyclone Freddy – thought to be the longest lasting tropical storm on record – has ripped through Malawi, causing devastation for many of the children who eat Mary’s Meals.
Entire communities have been swept away by raging waters and buried under landslides. More than 400 people have died – a figure that is expected to rise in the coming weeks.
While schools in affected areas are closed, the classrooms that haven’t been destroyed by the storm are being used as shelters for the many thousands of people who have lost their homes.
As well as providing food for the children who usually eat our school meals, Mary’s Meals is ensuring wider families also receive a daily meal in these shelters. Our mugs of likuni phala – a porridge fortified with essential vitamins and minerals – will be a familiar source of comfort to many children affected by this tragedy. 
Through this emergency response, we are already feeding more than 24,000 displaced people every day who have been impacted by this disaster and we stand ready to help further as the situation evolves.
As the place where the Mary’s Meals story began, Malawi holds a special place in all our hearts. From feeding just 200 children in 2002, we are now reaching more than one million little ones across the country every school day.
Those children, their families, the loving volunteers who prepare our meals, and our courageous colleagues are in our thoughts and prayers at this terrible time.
Please donate today to support our work in Malawi.
