date: 03.02.2025.
We’re delighted to announce that Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow has been invited to the Vatican to participate in the 1st World Leaders Summit on Children's Rights on Monday 3 February, hosted by Pope Francis. The founder of Mary’s Meals will spend the day discussing a child’s right to education, healthcare, food, nutrition and play, alongside a select group of world and humanitarian leaders, among which Rania al-Abdullah, Queen of Jordan; Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa; Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize; Rabbi David Rosen; Megawati Sukarnoputri, former President of Indonesia; Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundations for Education; former US Vicepresident Al Gore; as well as the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska. Also others like Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi, President of INTERPOL; Thomas Bach, President of International Olympic Committee, and Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA.
Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow has been recognised for his humanitarian work, being named a CNN Hero and one of TIME magazine's 100 most influential people in the world, as well as receiving an OBE for his services to education. In October 2023, Mary's Meals was awarded the prestigious Princess de Asturias Award for Concorde.
This summit is part of a broader effort by The Vatican to prioritise children's rights and welfare and will bring together experts and guests from around the world to discuss ways of collaborating to help protect children who live in precarious conditions, are exploited, abused, or suffer the dramatic consequences of war. Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow’s speech will be about “The Child’s Right to Food, Nutrition and Healthcare”.
'I am humbled and delighted to be asked to share the experience of Mary’s Meals at this important meeting hosted by the Holy Father. The success of Mary's Meals is rooted in the extraordinary kindness of people around the world who ignited this global movement which has become of interest to world leaders. I will try my best to share our vision and to be the voice of the children we serve - like those I met in Malawi just last week', said Magnus.
Mary's Meals began feeding around 200 schoolchildren in Malawi more than 20 years ago. Today, it has grown into a global movement that provides vital meals to more than 2.4 million children every day at school in some of the world's poorest communities.
