By Francesca Merlo
As the Jubilee of Youth begins, the streets of Rome are once again filled with the sound of pilgrims. While that might not be surprising given the Jubilee, this time, the energy is different: the songs are faster and the footsteps lighter. For what was recently described as “perhaps the most anticipated event of the year,” by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the Eternal City is welcoming over one million young people from all over the world.
Among the many bringing their message of hope are those representing Mary’s Meals, the global school feeding charity that embodies the very equation it loves to proclaim: Food + School = Hope.
A presence of purpose
Mary’s Meals will take to squares throughout Rome during the week of celebrations and will be present at the prayer vigil led by Pope Leo XIV on the 2nd of August in Tor Vergata – a place already close to the hearts of many people since it hosted World Youth Day in the Jubilee year 2000.
But as we await that moment, different areas of Rome will come alive with talks, dances, concerts, and more. Mary’s Meals will host a “Concert for Hope”, welcomimg renowned Catholic artists such as Fr Rob Galea from Australia, Polish multi-instrumentalist AnMari, and Italian singer Dajana – offering their voices in support of the organisation and promoting the message of hope. But perhaps even more powerful will be the voices of Mary’s Meals’ Youth Ambassadors – young people from across the world who have made it their mission to do everything they can to bring dignity to some of the world’s most vulnerable children.
But this mission spans far beyond Europe. Evance Mozeka is team lead for Mary’s Meals Youth Ambassadors in Malawi, where Mary’s Meals operates. There, Evance tells Vatican News, the Youth Ambassador programme is divided into local youth ambassadors and those from private high schools. Together, they work to raise awareness about Mary’s Meals through school clubs, social media, and public engagement. “We support the Malawian office for communications and raise awareness for Mary’s Meals,” Evance explains, describing activities such as festive season drives, farmers markets, and university outreach events. “We’ve managed to raise some funds and also share the message with learners, parents, and young children who didn’t know about Mary’s Meals.”
For Evance and his team, being ambassadors isn’t about a title – it’s about action. From selling books and t-shirts to organising events in their communities, they prove that awareness and change start at home, even in the very countries that benefit from Mary’s Meals’ support.
Hope does not disappoint
Operating behind the scenes, Mary’s Meals delivers life-supporting food and dignity to those who need it most. It reminds the world that hunger is not inevitable, that education is a right, and that no child should have to merely survive.
Speaking to Vatican News, Paloma García Ovejero, International Media Manager for Mary’s Meals, says the Jubilee is a dream come true for the charity. “Hope is part of our identity,” she explains. “We feed almost three million children every school day. But there are 67 million children who are still waiting. It costs just €22 per year to feed one child. That means everyone – every person – can help.”
García Ovejero reflects on the reality that many young people today are growing up in a world of displacement, climate catastrophe, and human-made conflict. “It is often young people who feel most hopeless. But at Mary’s Meals, we see them become actors of hope – doing small things in small places that change lives.”
One of these people is a young woman called Lette. In Malawi, she once relied on Mary’s Meals to survive. An orphan caring for her younger brothers, Lette had no food, no home, and – she believed – no future. Today, she is a young journalist working for Mary’s Meals. “She’s my colleague!” says García Ovejero, and she’s dedicated to giving back to the very programme that helped her survive.
Youth Ambassadors as voices of compassion
Two of the youth ambassadors who will be representing Mary’s Meals in Rome are Chiara from Italy and Christine from Austria. Both began their journeys organising concerts, sports events, and fundraising campaigns to support the charity. Through their initiatives, entire classes have been “adopted” and hundreds of children fed – all through what Chiara calls “small gestures with a big impact.”
“Young people care,” says Christine. “And they can do so much with what they have – by running, singing, cooking, praying. It’s all part of the mission.”
Evance brings that same spirit from Malawi, highlighting the power of youth-led advocacy: “We work as a team,” he says, describing the way their different ambassador groups support each other’s events and outreach efforts. “We are willing to share more,” Evance adds, a reminding us that in order for hope to grow, it must be shared.
On Jul 30th and 31st, during the “Dialogue with the City” activities at Pincio Terrace in Rome’s Piazza del Popolo, Mary’s Meals will have volunteers engaging pilgrims and passersby in the life-changing work they do. Then, on the 31st in that same location, from 15:00 to 18:00 Rome time, the charity will host its “Concert for Hope,” bringing together the voices of hope.
Pilgrims of hope
In Rome, as Mary’s Meals has shown, the young people who have gathered truly are pilgrims of hope. Many will have made great sacrifices to be here, others may be representing numerous more who could not make the journey. Some may have gone through or may be going through difficult times. The Jubilee of Youth is an opportunity to prove that hope is available to all, and that all deserve it.
“We are a charity rooted in hope,” says García Ovejero. “And this Jubilee is all about hope. Not just spiritual hope, but the kind that fills your stomach, that gives you the energy to go to school, to laugh, to study, to imagine a future.”
Hope is not a distant or abstract concept. It looks like a bowl of porridge in Malawi. It looks like a classroom full of children in Haiti. And it looks like young volunteers here in Rome – teenagers, students, musicians – choosing to use their time and talents to feed children they may never meet.
García Ovejero speaks of the places where Mary’s Meals operates – places like South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. “Sometimes people say to us, ‘how can you talk about hope in these places?’ And I say, because we see it. Every day, we see it. In the children who come back to school. In the mothers who smile because their children ate today. In the young people who refuse to believe that hunger is just part of life.”
She adds, “This Jubilee gives us a chance to tell those stories, and to say to the world: you don’t need to be a millionaire, or a politician to change a life. You just need to believe that love, expressed through little acts, works.”
And this Jubilee of Youth reminds us that hope is everyone’s destiny, it is spread and shared – by the young, for the young. – Vatican News
