The Christian founder of school feeding charity, Mary’s Meals, Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, is pictured above at the weekend, accepting the award of the 2014 Prize for the Advancement of Peace by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK at its 11th National Peace Symposium.

He received the award at Europe’s largest mosque, the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Morden in Surrey – and was presented with it by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Caliph, His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, who leads the global community that is established in 206 countries and lives by its motto of ‘Love for All Hatred for None’.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, which strongly rejects violence and terrorism in any form and for any reason, founded the prize to recognise important contributions to the advancement of global peace.

The recipient of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Prize for the Advancement of Peace, Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, CEO Mary’s Meals UK said:

“I am deeply honoured and moved to receive this award and thank His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad for this honour. The work of Mary’s Meals is very simply to feed children so that they are able to go to school.”

Mr MacFarlane Barrow is seen below in discussions with [second right] the Caliph, His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, with [left] Justine Greening, UK Secretary of State for International Development and with [right] Catholic Archbishop, Kevin McDonald.Mary’s Meals is a global movement, founded by MacFarlane-Barrow in 2002, which sets up community-run school feeding programmes in some of the world’s poorest communities. By providing a nutritious daily meal in school, Mary’s Meals attracts chronically hungry children to the classroom, where they can receive an education that can be their first step on the ladder out of poverty.

The charity currently reaches over 900,000 children with a daily meal in a place of education, across five continents. By keeping overheads low, Mary’s Meals can feed a child in school for a whole year for just £12.20.

Mary’s Meals is also currently providing much-needed take-home rations to children and their families in Liberia, while the Ebola outbreak causes food prices to rocket and stops people from working.