Many of you will have heard of Mary's Meals but, for those of you who haven't, it is a fantastic organisation that provides school lunches for very poor children in countries throughout the world. Now, we are copying this idea and have set up the Kids' Kitchen in order to carry out the same type of work in a village in Kenya.

The concept is very clever because foodstuffs and cooking utensils have been bought with funds raised through donations, and then the grandmothers and widows do the cooking to ensure that the school children have a cooked lunch. This is a wonderful idea for a number of reasons; in particular, if children have food in their stomachs at midday they will be more likely to work hard at school. Also, if the children have had one good meal at lunchtime, there is less pressure on the grandmothers or widows to provide a nourishing evening meal, something that is almost impossible for them to do, for financial reasons, and because many of them are sick or very old. Also, it gives a wonderful opportunity for the grandmothers and widows to participate in the provision of the meals for the children, which will be a source of pride for them.

Direct Link has already bought the cooking pots and utensils, and the Kids' Kitchen is up and running in term time. The grannies and widows are happy to cook the food, in rotation, to provide lunches for the orphans in the project. However, last year it was difficult to keep the Kitchen up and running every day of each term. It is becoming ever more expensive to buy the foodstuffs and it is unsatisfactory not to be able to supply hot lunches on a regular basis, so that the children can bank on the fact that they will be fed in school. The responsibility then returns to the destitute grannies and widows to provide the nourishment the children require.

FOR THAT REASON, THE KIDS' KITCHEN IS OUR FUND-RAISING PROGRAMME FOR 2011/2012.

We would ask you to donate as much or as little as you wish so that the burden is removed from the older members of the community, and the nourishment that the children receive will help to ward off disease. Have a look at our latest fund-raising publication together with photographs of the children receiving their desperately needed lunchtime meals.