A SCOTTISH charity has expressed disappointment that a project to feed hungry children has been delayed because of the UK Government’s aid cuts.

Mary’s Meals was due to begin giving children in Liberia nutritious meals in school this July but has had to push back the project because of the constraints.

However Mary’s Meals told the Sunday National they were hopeful the delay could be lessened as a result of talks with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). From November 2020 to January 2021, Mary’s Meals ran an appeal asking the public for donations to feed hungry children in Liberia, with up to £2 million of funds matched by the UK Government as part of the UK Aid Match programme.

The charity has not yet publicly announced the total raised through the campaign but expects to do so in the coming weeks.

“Mary’s Meals had been left disappointed by a funding delay, caused by the UK Government’s wider cuts to international development spending which looked set to postpone a project to reach children in Liberia with nutritious daily meals in school,” said a spokesperson. “However, we have been encouraged by recent discussions with the FCDO which have identified options to potentially allow the project to progress with only a slight delay to the planned timing.

“Both in Liberia and across 18 other impoverished countries, Mary’s Meals is determined to reach as many hungry little ones with life-changing school meals as we can – and we are incredibly grateful to our hugely generous supporters for making our work possible.”

Last week the Sunday National had reported how Edinburgh based EMMS had been forced to delay a project in Nepal, due to start in July, until next April because of the cuts.

The National:

CEO Cathy Ratcliff (above) said while the charity is grateful it will still be getting government match funding for its Every Girl Matters appeal, the delay would mean many girls will miss out on school and patients would die before they could receive access to improved care.

The charity has just announced that the appeal has raised more than £3.2m, including £1,615,878 in match funding from the UK Government but will continue to campaign for an earlier start date. “We’re thrilled that, despite the pressures of the coronavirus pandemic, people have responded so generously to help rural communities in Nepal,” said Ratcliff.

“Along with match funding from the UK Government, this amazing sum of £3.2m means our partners will ensure families battling chronic illness will get the care they deserve and so urgently need.

“Better care for loved ones means more girls will be able to stay in school and pursue their hopes for the future.”

The appeal featured the story of Sunita, a young girl who had to drop out of school to care for her parents.

When her parents received the care they needed from EMMS International’s local partner INF Nepal, Sunita was able to return to school and break free from the cycle of sickness and poverty.