“Once we arrive on the scene, I can offer practical support. Our vehicle is stocked with hygiene packs, clothes, baby supplies – essential things that people need straight away.

“I’ve been trained to offer emotional support. Sometimes in a crisis people just need someone to talk to.

“When people are in shock, they can forget the basic things that they should be doing, especially if it has been a stressful event. My role is to be empathetic and offer practical, clear advice to take away as much stress as possible.”

“They remind me of me when I first came to the country”

Mohammed was deployed multiple times to Manchester and Liverpool airports to be a welcoming and knowledgeable presence for arriving Ukrainian refugees.

“We were there to offer information and make sure new arrivals knew what they needed to do. This is so important for someone who is vulnerable and perhaps has no belongings. They need to start over and we can help point them in the right direction.

“I have been through the same experience. It wasn’t an easy experience to me moving to a different country, leaving everything behind and starting all over. I can be compassionate but also knowledgeable, which hopefully makes that first few hours a bit less scary for new arrivals.”

We all love a good food fact (for example, did you know that pistachios aren’t really nuts?), so here’s another one for you: 20% of our daily water intake usually comes from food.

Think about it – tomatoes, watermelon, peaches… They’re all very watery. Cucumber is 95% water and celery is nearly entirely made up of water too! In fact, even watercress, apples, lettuce and courgettes are high in water content too.

A diet that’s heavy in raw fruits and vegetables doesn’t just give your body a healthy dose of vitamins, minerals and fibre, but they also increase our daily water intake.

Why is all this relevant to school meals, though?

Sadly, many of the countries we support with school meals have limited access to clean water. In fact, several communities struggle to access any clean water at all. This makes school meals even more important!

By munching on our healthy school meals each day, they get easier access to clean water content and actually stand a chance of getting the right amount of hydration they need each day. That’s just the short-term benefit, though.

The long-term benefit is how school meals give children a chance to access more education – and with more education comes better infrastructure! Thanks to school meals today, it won’t be long until these communities are more educated, able to install water metres, develop proper waste and waste-water management, build treatment plants and even raise awareness of water conservation.

So, however you celebrate World Food Day today, whether it’s with a meal full of hydration or not, spare a thought for the thousands of children who go hungry and thirsty every day. With your support, we can give them the food and hydration they need today so they can develop the infrastructure they need tomorrow.

Help them forge a brighter tomorrow and donate school meals for World Food Day here.

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