COWDENBEATH and District Probus Club have been told how just £19.15 can feed a child in the Third World for one year!

The Probus members heard last Tuesday from Mary’s Meals co-ordinator in the East of Scotland, John Helliwell, how the charity works hard to feed needy children in countries such as Zimbabwe and Malawi.

John told the meeting: “Mary’s Meals serves nutritious school meals to children living in some of the world’s poorest countries.

“The promise of a good meal attracts hungry children into the classroom, giving them hope for a better future.

“We are already feeding more than 2.4 million children every school day, and an example of how things can improve for a child is 12-year-old Samantha, a pupil at Mafuyana Primary School in Matabeleland, in the North Region of Zimbabwe.

“Our mugs of porridge are fortified with essential vitamins and minerals which are a lifeline to children like Samantha, who explained that before getting her daily meal from Mary’s Meals, she would only have a drink of water before class and very little after school.”

John added: “It costs just £19.15 to provide a child with a daily meal for a whole school year, but we are only able to make it happen with the backing of people in countries such as Scotland and the rest of the UK”.

John urged people to find out how they could support the charity by emailing info@marysmeals.org or calling 08006981212.

Jim Taylor, the Probus Club’s speaker secretary, said: “It was quite an eye-opener what Marys Meals achieves and our club was only too happy to make a donation to the cause.”