Latest news with #MacFarlane-Barrow
Daily Record
01-05-2025
- General
- Daily Record
Scots charity chief 'inspired' by Pope Francis's dedication to children in poverty
Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow met the late pontiff just weeks before he died and said the religious leader was an inspiration. A CHARITY boss who met Pope Francis just weeks before his death has praised the pontiff for his dedication to children in poverty. Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, founder of Scottish charity Mary's Meals, said the Catholic leader was an 'incredibly warm man' and a 'challenging Pope '. During a trip to Rome in February MacFarlane-Barrow attended the Vatican World Leaders Summit on Children's Rights where he met the Pope for the last time. He said: 'There were about 40 people in the room, it was a whole day event and he came round and greeted every person in the room even though he was clearly struggling with his health at that time. ' He was in a wheelchair and had difficulty breathing. He surprised us as I thought he would give an opening speech and then leave us to it but he stayed for most of the day. 'It was a consistent thing through his whole pontificate. He was very passionate about children and about the poorest people in the world and wanted to be part of that conversation we were all having.' On another occasion the Pope encouraged the charity chief to 'keep going forward' with his charity, which feeds hundreds of thousands of children in some of the poorest countries every day. MacFarlane-Barrow said: 'Not long after he was made Pope I met him for the first time. He was a really warm man with this incredible way of encouraging people. 'He told me to 'just keep going', he kept telling me to 'go forward'. 'I think he was an incredibly challenging Pope. I felt very challenged by him personally, in a good way. 'He really gave us all a good shake and reminded us that if we claim to be Christian it can't just be words. It needs to be actions and the way we live our lives.' Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Associated Press
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Mary's Meals Declares 'Right to Hope' at first Vatican Summit on Children's Rights
BLOOMFIELD, NJ, UNITED STATES, February 6, 2025 / / -- On Monday, February 3, Mary's Meals Founder and CEO Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow told world leaders at the first World Leaders Summit on Children's Rights in Rome that it would cost just over $3 billion dollars per year to serve a daily school meal to those children most in need in the world's lowest-income countries. 'There is no good reason why we cannot make – and keep – this promise to the world's poorest children … 'Hope should be another right for every child,' he emphasized. The summit drew global leaders, including Queen Rania of Jordan; Megawati Sukarnoputri, former President of Indonesia; Al Gore, former US Vice President; and Mario Draghi, Italian economist and EU advisor. MacFarlane-Barrow opened his speech at the summit by sharing the origin story of Mary's Meals. 'Twenty-four years ago, I had a conversation with a very hungry child. He was 14-years-old and, along with his five younger siblings, sat beside his mother Emma who was dying. He looked at me and said, 'I would like to have enough food to eat and to go to school one day.'' That exchange took place in Malawi in 2002 and inspired the school feeding work of Mary's Meals, which became a global movement. Today, Mary's Meals provides school meals to more than 2.5 million children every school day in 16 of the world's poorest countries. Following Monday's day-long debate and discussions, political leaders and representatives of countries and faiths from around the world signed a Concluding Declaration, stating that, among other things, the rights of children are still widely violated; indifference must not become the norm; nations must assume greater responsibility; a global commitment is needed; and peace starts with children and their protection. MacFarlane-Barrow asserted that children should also be afforded the ' Right to Hope.' 'I feel huge gratitude for the invitation to take part in this event and to Pope Francis and the organizers for including Mary's Meals. It's a privilege to represent the Mary's Meals family and to be the voice of the children we serve every school day. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to introduce the idea of the 'Right to Hope' alongside the other important rights of the child discussed,' said MacFarlane-Barrow at the conclusion of the Vatican Summit. He added, 'This summit has opened so many new doors for Mary's Meals; so many new people are expressing huge interest in our work. It's a very important step for Mary's Meals. It's been amazing to spend a couple of days in the company of so many incredible leaders and to spend time in this amazing city of Rome.' After listening to the Mary's Meals Founder, and the organization's contributions, Pope Francis announced that he will give continuity to this commitment and promote it. He will prepare an Apostolic Exhortation dedicated to children's rights. — END — About Mary's Meals Now in its 23rd year, Mary's Meals is a global movement that sets up school-feeding programs in some of the world's most vulnerable communities, where conflict, poverty and hunger often prevent children from gaining an education. Mary's Meals works with in-country volunteers and trusted partners to provide one daily nutritious meal in a place of learning to bring children into the classroom to receive an education. This simple solution to help end world hunger also enables children to lift themselves from the cycle of hunger and poverty. Mary's Meals began by feeding 200 children in Malawi in 2002. Today, the organization feeds more than 2.4 million children every school day in more than 5,000 schools in the following countries: Benin, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Kenya, Lebanon, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Mary's Meals is part of the global School Meals Coalition, an emerging initiative of governments and partners to drive actions that can urgently reestablish, improve, and scale up food and education systems. For more information about Mary's Meals, visit Helena Finnegan Mary's Meals +1 239-290-7788 X LinkedIn Instagram Legal Disclaimer:
