Mary’s Meals is honoured with prestigious Princess of Asturias Award

The charity has been honoured for its work feeding hungry children in the world’s poorest countries

International school feeding charity Mary’s Meals is being honoured with the Princess of Asturias Award for Concord to recognise its work in some of the world’s poorest countries.

These annual awards are granted to individuals and organisations who make notable achievements in the sciences, humanities, and public affairs. As part of the 2023 programme, actor Meryl Streep is honoured with the Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts.

Mary’s Meals receives the prestigious Concord Prize for “for its exemplary dedication to alleviating some of the most pressing problems in today’s world.”

The charity, which began in 2002, works in partnership with local communities to feed more than 2.4 million children every school day in 18 of the world’s poorest countries. The promise of a good meal attracts these hungry children into the classroom, giving them the energy to learn and hope for a better future.

Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, founder of Mary’s Meals, says: “We are deeply honoured and grateful to be chosen for this hugely prestigious award. We will be happy to accept it on behalf of all those people who are working with Mary’s Meals all over the world to ensure that every child in this world might receive a daily meal in their place of education.”

The Princess of Asturias jury commended Mary’s Meals on its low-cost model, which means the charity can feed a child every day for a full school year for just £19.15. This is made possible by the support of volunteers across the globe – from the those in the UK who fundraise and spread the word, to people in the countries where it works who prepare the meals for hungry children in their communities.

The award will be presented at a ceremony at Teatro Campoamor in Oviedo, Spain in October.

Magnus continues: “In a special way, we accept the award on behalf of the thousands of people living in poverty who volunteer their time each day as a gift to cook and serve meals to the hungry children in their communities. And we look forward very much to the ceremony in Oviedo in October! Thank you on behalf of the children.”

The Princess of Asturias Awards have been presented since 1981 by H.M. King Felipe of Spain and are considered to be amongst the most important in the global cultural agenda. Previous winners of the Award for Concord include Japanese architect, Shigeru Ban; renowned chef, José Andrés, and his NGO, World Central Kitchen; and Spanish health workers on the front line against Covid-19.

To find out more about Mary’s Meals and how you can get involved, please visit marysmeals.org.uk