Session One
Overview
Students will watch and discuss the half-hour film Child 31 – The Story of Mary’s Meals. In this video they will meet Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, CEO and founder of Mary’s Meals, and hear how the charity started.
The work of Mary’s Meals is closely linked to some of the topics covered in the curriculum here in Ireland. Child 31 gives examples of how to be an active citizen, how to make a difference as a member of the community, and how to contribute and give back to society.
Suggested discussion questions
- What are some of the reasons that children in countries where Mary’s Meals works can become homeless or fall into poverty and how can we help to address this?
- How is education helping to create a brighter future for children who receive Mary’s Meals?
- How can we, as a school / community, help Mary’s Meals to grow and to support more children? (It’s a good idea to keep a note of their answers as they will be asked again in week six.)
Child 31
Lessons
Session One
Students will watch and discuss the half-hour film Child 31 – The Story of Mary’s Meals. In this video they will meet Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, CEO and founder of Mary’s Meals, and hear how the charity started.
Read more about Session One 
Session Two
The accompanying resource contains short excerpts from the bestselling book The Shed That Fed A Million Children, written by Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow (founder of Mary’s Meals). The stories will help you learn a little more about Malawi and some of the people who inspired the work of Mary’s Meals.
Read more about Session Two 
Session Three
Filmed on location in Malawi, Haiti, and India, this uplifting film introduces us to members of what we call ‘Generation Hope’ – children and young people whose prospects are brighter because of support from Mary’s Meals. You will not only meet children who are currently receiving daily meals while they learn, but also young people who, having received Mary’s Meals at school, have gone on to further education or paid employment because the school feeding programme has helped them to realise their potential.
Read more about Session Three 
Session Four
Through another short excerpt from Magnus’ bestselling book, The Shed That Fed A Million Children, your students will get some insight into the humble beginnings of the Mary’s Meals school feeding programme.
Read more about Session Four 
Session Five
After presenting Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow with a CNN Heroes award, actor Gerard Butler began to support Mary’s Meals. He travelled to Liberia and Haiti to see first-hand how Mary’s Meals is fighting poverty and helping to transform entire communities by engaging volunteers to provide children with daily meals in their place of education.
Read more about Session Five 
Session Six
As the programme draws to a close, we hope the young people feel inspired by the simple truth that food changes the story for the world’s poorest communities and the knowledge that their actions can have a big impact. Participants could now brainstorm ideas of how they, their school or their local community can help support the work of Mary’s Meals and make a difference to childrens lives.
Read more about Session Six 
Teaching Guide
Little Acts, Big Difference is a youth programme – made up of six modules – that introduces the life-changing work of Mary’s Meals and invites you to become a part of this vibrant global family.
Read more about Teaching Guide 