From struggling student to tremendous teacher
Bernadette’s life changed when Mary’s Meals arrived at her school
Teacher Bernadette gets a resounding ‘Good morning Miss!’ from her class at Chilomoni Primary School, in Malawi, when she welcomes her students at the start of the day. She works at the same school that she attended herself when she was a young girl.
“And I'm even teaching with the teachers that taught me at that time!”, she says.
But her journey to get here was not straightforward. When Bernadette first started attending school, she suffered from debilitating hunger. It deprived her of energy and reduced her confidence in class.
She says: "I was one of the children from a disadvantaged background, often going to school on an empty stomach. My mum was a stay-at-home mum without anything to do.”
Bernadette was a bright student, but she struggled to have this reflected in her grades. Sadly, this story is not exclusive to Bernadette; for many children in Malawi, the chance at even getting a secondary education is limited, and heavily determined by grades. Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking 169 out of 191 countries and territories in the Human Development Index. A staggering 71% of the population live below the international poverty line of $2.15 USD a day.
In 2008, however, Mary’s Meals arrived at Bernadette’s school, and her life started to change for the better. In the four years where she ate Mary’s Meals at school, her performance soared.
Bernadette improved her grades so much, she was chosen out of a select few to go to secondary school. This was in no large part due to her own determination to succeed and lift herself out of poverty, but when asked, she humbly credits Mary’s Meals.
She says: "Every time I was in the top three positions in my class, it was because of Mary's Meals. This programme provided us with the sustenance we needed to thrive in school. I owe a great deal of my success to them. Without them, I would have been at home, battling hunger. But now, I am a teacher, right here at the same school where I was once a beneficiary of the school feeding programme.”
As a teacher, Bernadette envisions a bright future for each of the children in her class. She sees herself as a professor, a child activist, and dreams of being an author to share her experiences. She acknowledges that some children come to school primarily for the porridge provided by Mary's Meals but urges parents and guardians to instil the values of hard work and determination in their children.
She says: “I think that these kids, hopefully they think, ‘one day, I’ll be like her’. I'm also a student at the University of Malawi, pursuing a Diploma in Education with a focus on history. Additionally, I proudly serve as a board member of the Malawi Girl Guides Association.
“I believe I am one of the girls who has truly emerged from poverty. With the arrival of Mary's Meals, things changed for the better. We no longer had to worry about hunger, and our minds were free to concentrate on our studies.”
Mary’s Meals has been a source of hope to children in Malawi for more than 20 years. Our promise of a meal every school day means children, like Bernadette, can go to school knowing they will eat today, and look forward to a brighter future.
Bernadette’s story featured as part of our BBC Radio 4 Appeal in October, presented by actor and long-time Mary’s Meals supporter, Sophie Thompson. If you missed the hearing the appeal live, you can listen on demand on BBC Sounds.
