Mary's Meals charity calls on Moray families to donate old school bags to children in Malawi for Backpack Project
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A GLOBAL school feeding charity is encouraging Moray families to "buddy up" to donate their old school bags to children in Malawi.
Mary’s Meals launched the latest drive of its Backpack Project as schools across Scotland close for the summer holidays.
The charity is calling on parents and children to team up with other families to fill pre-loved backpacks which will be gifted to schoolchildren in the African country.
The old school bags can be recycled and filled with useful educational items, such as pencils and notepads, or other essentials like clothing, soap and toothpaste.
These donated backpacks are then sent to Malawi to help children receiving a daily meal in school from Mary’s Meals get the most out of their learning. Many of these children do not have basic items for school and the backpacks are often the only gift they have ever received.
Since the project began in 2002, more than 500,000 of these school bags have been donated by people across the UK.
Emma Hutton, of Mary’s Meals, said: "Rather than throwing away school backpacks at the end of the school term, these items can be put to great use by Mary’s Meals at schools in Malawi. Bags filled with essentials give children there a chance to get the most out of their education.
"It is wonderful to see the immense joy which these bags bring to every child who receives one.
"This is an exciting project for families in Moray to get involved in over the summer months as their support will allow us to continue spreading that joy among children receiving Mary’s Meals."
A donated backpack can be filled with the following items: notepads, pencils, pens, crayons, eraser, sharpener, ruler, pencil case, towel, shorts or skirt, T-shirt or dress, flip-flops or sandals, small ball like a tennis ball, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste and a spoon. Families are asked not to add any additional items to the backpacks.
Mary’s Meals, founded in 2002, has grown from feeding 200 children in Malawi, to now reaching more than 1.8 million around the world in 19 countries. The promise of a daily meal in school attracts impoverished children to the classroom, where they can gain an education that will one day be their ladder out of poverty.
Anyone in Moray interested in donating backpacks can phone 0800 698 1212.
