PUPILS at Saltoun Primary School have raised more than £6,000 to help children in Africa after becoming inspired by a film shown at school.

The pupils’ fundraising for Mary’s Meals began last year after the children watched Child 31, a documentary about the work of the Scottish-based charity.

All 60 pupils at the school were involved in fundraising, which has so far reached £6,400, to build and equip a kitchen for a school in Malawi as part of the Mary’s Meals feeding programme. The kitchen will provide a safe and hygienic place for community volunteers to prepare a daily meal of likuni phala – a nutritious, vitamin-enriched maize porridge.

The pupils have been creative in their fundraising, from the nursery children making scones and jam to the older children putting on an art exhibition and several sponsored events.

They have even taken to the stage as part of their efforts, writing a play called The Journey, which features songs from several areas where the charity works, including Africa, Ecuador, India and Haiti.

The play sees the pupils travel to different countries in a special machine and learn a little about each country when they arrive.

A gift is given to the travellers in each country and they bring these souvenirs back with them in order to share their experience with their class-mates.

Lindy Lynn, headteacher, said: “The children worked so hard and raised a phenomenal amount of money for Mary’s Meals.

“I am incredibly proud of them for identifying with children who are less fortunate than themselves and doing what they could to make the lives of others better.

“The performance of The Journey is a very fitting celebration of what this small rural primary school has achieved and we are happy we have been able to share the play with our local community.” The average global cost for Mary’s Meals to feed a child for a whole school year is only £12.20.

The charity is committed to spending 93p of each £1 donated on its charitable work, so the efforts of Saltoun Primary will go a long way.

Daniel Adams, head of fundraising at Mary’s Meals, said: “We are extremely grateful to everyone at Saltoun Primary for supporting Mary’s Meals – their efforts have been incredible.

“Our work to feed the world’s poorest children in the most deprived countries every day they attend school would not be possible without the generosity of our supporters.

“Their generosity and the wonderful ways they find to support Mary’s Meals never cease to amaze us.” Mary’s Meals runs school feeding projects in some of the world’s poorest countries, where poverty and hunger prevent children from getting an education.