Scottish Catholic Observer

A powerful, award-winning documentary charting the work of Scottish charity Mary’s Meals in countries such as Malawi, India and Kenya is to be broadcast to the nation on Friday evening.

STV will broadcast Child 31, a hard-hitting documentary film focused on Mary’s Meals commitment to feeding the world’s poorest and hungriest children, at 22.35pm, the first time the film has been broadcast on a UK commercial television channel.

Speaking ahead of Friday’s broadcast, Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, Mary’s Meals founder, said that Child 31 is ‘told through the eyes of children.’

“There are the children whose lives have been transformed by receiving Mary’s Meals and the children who raise vital funds on their behalf,” he said.
“There are people from all walks of life who will not accept that any child in this world of plenty must endure a day without food. It is thanks to their efforts that thousands of children, who would otherwise be hungry and working for their next meal, are instead sitting in a classroom with a full stomach, learning how to read and write.”

Elizabeth Partyka, deputy director of channels at STV, said that—with the documentary being broadcast on the same evening as Comic Relief—a light will be shone on child poverty.

“Child 31 is a compelling documentary from a charity with very strong Scottish roots that is having an impact on a global scale,” she said. “Figures from Mary’s Meals show that approximately 18,000 children die every day due to hunger-related diseases. On a night when lots of us will be thinking about children at risk all over the world, STV is keen to help shine a light on the issues of child poverty, wherever they occur.”

— See film teaser at http://www.whoischild31.com/