Each day after lessons, the school bell rings and children flock to steaming pots of rice and curry, often the only meal they have eaten in the day. Jubaida tells me the food helps her to concentrate. A glimmer appears in her eye as she tells me it also gives her energy to dance.
As the twins move their bodies in time with the music at a dance lesson, I see Jubaida finally smiling. For this hour, she can simply be a child, having fun.
When I ask her about her dreams for the future she answers with a huge grin: “I want to be a doctor.”
When we think back over the past year, 2023 might have seemed to contain more darkness than light. The impacts of rising costs, climate change and conflict have brought fear and uncertainty to many children. But as we approach Christmas, it is important to keep on looking for that small and shining light which exists in the darkness. Your support for Mary’s Meals provides that light.
Just £19.15 can feed a child like Jubaida every day for a whole school year. And because your gift is matched at this time, that same donation could feed Jainab too.
