The only food Abak and Aping eat in a typical day is a simple bowl of maize and beans served by Mary’s Meals at their school.

We hear from Father Joson, from our partner BREAD. He runs our programme in India, where Mary’s Meals is currently feeding 64,000 children every school day.

The war in Ukraine is tearing lives and livelihoods apart in villages, towns and cities across the country, with little sign of relief for its beleaguered people. And around the world, people of every nation are already feeling the ripple effects of the devastation in their own day-to-day lives. Hunger is the biggest concern for an increasing number of families.

International Day of Friendship shines a spotlight on the role friendship plays in enriching our lives, as well as entire communities. And, when friendship extends beyond borders, it can play an important part in promoting peace between people from different cultures and backgrounds.