NeverSeconds school dinners blogger Martha Payne in Malawi

Most of the stories I've posted are where the initial intentions were good and the unintended consequences have not been so.  Here is a story where the original intention was to shame the local authority providing poor school meals. But the unintended consequences have been very positive indeed. Not only for the blogger's school meals but for African children as well.  

Well done, Martha!

From:   - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-19777092

"School dinners blogger Martha Payne has arrived in Malawi to see how the money she raised for charity is being spent.

                                          Martha took pictures of her meal on the flight to Malawi

The nine-year-old became an internet sensation after Argyll and Bute Council banned her from posting photos of her school meals on her NeverSeconds blog.

The ban was later overturned after a storm of protest.

Martha then asked for contributions to the charity Mary's Meals and has raised £114,000. Some of the money is funding a school kitchen in Malawi.

The Lochgilphead Primary School pupil began publishing photographs of her lunches on her website earlier this year.

She gives each meal a 'food-o-meter' and health rating, and counts the number of mouthfuls it takes her to eat it.

Donations on her website soared when the controversial ban on her photographing her lunches was imposed by the council then quickly lifted after a worldwide response to the story.

After she raised more than £100,000 for Mary's Meals, the charity announced it would build a school kitchen in Malawi in her honour.

Martha, and her family, have travelled to the country to see for themselves how her blog has changed the lives of others. Lirangwe Primary School in Blantyre has received £21,000 towards the Friends of NeverSeconds kitchen which will provide almost 2,000 children with nutritious meals every day for a year.

Writing on her blog before heading off, she said: "I have been talking to lots of people about going to Malawi. I'm talking a lot about it because I am excited about it.

"I can't wait to meet all the children. I have packed some footballs and wind up torches."

And the nine-year-old is still reviewing her lunches. She took photographs of her food on the flight to Blantyre and said she would be posting them to her blog."