I have a new hero…

Her name is Martha Payne.

You may have read the news coverage of this intrepid nine-year-old whose blog, NeverSeconds, has made headlines.

She started photographing her school meals and giving them various ratings in a bid to a) improve the quality of school meals and b) to raise money for Malawi-based charity Mary’s Meals.

The blog was an instant hit, drawing praise from fellow campaigner and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. Children from as far afield as China and Canada were sending in pictures of their school dinners as they lapped up what she was writing.

But like Jamie's work in the UK and LA, Martha’s efforts were not universally appreciated...

When a local newspaper picked up the story and gave it the headline “Time to fire the dinner ladies”, Martha was hoiked out of her maths lesson by her head teacher and told to stop photographing her meals. The local council was leaning on the school in a bid to silence its outspoken food critic.

Argyll and Bute Council accused the nine-year-old of “misrepresenting” the menu options available and refused to budge, even when Jamie Oliver and fellow celebrity chef Nick Nairn intervened. It looked like the ban would stick.

What she thought would be her last blog entry was titled “Goodbye” and read: “I only write my blog, not newspapers, and I am sad I am no longer allowed to take photos”. Freedom of speech (and photography) had been dealt a major blow.

But then people power took over. There were almost three million visitors to her blog and a large proportion of these expressed their anger at the decision on Twitter.

It was too much for the local authority, which backtracked and overturned the ban, claiming there was “no place for censorship in Argyll and Bute Council”. But best of all, the extra publicity has helped the schoolgirl campaigner raise nearly £46,000 for her chosen charity.

A spokesperson for the Mary’s Meals said: “We are extremely grateful for everything that she has done to help us reach some of the hungriest children in the world.”

I’m glad Martha’s blog has the green light to continue; it really is extremely articulate. But it was also great to see that so many people were prepared to fight her corner and to show that they too cared about the quality of the food their children were being offered.

And it also appealed to the public’s better nature. While impressive donations of around £2,000 had come in before the story broke, the giving level has rocketed over the last few days and has now grown enough to build at least one school kitchen in Malawi. According to her father, Martha may even be dreaming of a visit to Malawi to see where the money has gone (and to check the quality of the meals, no doubt).

This girl’s creativity, eloquence, innovative approach and fighting spirit really appeal to me, and to millions of people around the world. I only wish I was brave enough to stand up for the things I believe in!

The girl that hugged the queen

You may have read about the Ugandan war orphan who hugged the queen during the Jubilee celebrations. Well I had the privilege of meeting Lydia Amito face-to-face at the Cherish conference in Bradford this week (and getting some hugs of my own).

I first saw this little girl on the main stage during one of the conference’s celebration meetings. She walked on stage with the Watoto Children’s Choir and stepped forward, confidently introducing herself and explaining the difference the Watoto charity – and her newfound Christian faith – has made in her life.

But while seeing her beautiful smile and listening to the choir’s incredibly moving performance, I was still unprepared for her tragic story. It turns out that Lydia’s father and uncles were butchered Lord’s Resistance Army, who also slaughtered her mother in front of her older sister.

Lydia and her six siblings managed to escape and were rescued by the Watoto Church; a Pentecostal church that now cares for 2,500 children. The church places orphans like Lydia in families of eight, housing them in simple homes that are built around a communal garden. Each home is presided over by a ‘house mother’, usually a widow who has lost her husband and/or children to war, AIDS or malnutrition.

Sitting down with Lydia was a humbling experience. On one hand she was just a shy, giggly little girl, but on the other she had been through intense trauma, seen horrors I am unlikely to ever see, and managed to start a new life. She confides that when she grows up she wants to be a nurse. “I want to treat people so they can get better,” she says.

This little girl, who could have been sex-trafficked, abused and even killed, is now in a safe home with people who love her. When she’s not at school she loves practising for the choir and helping out her house mother, Mamma Santa, by cleaning the house and cooking. She has also formed close bonds with her brothers and sisters, as well as experiencing the love of Jesus Christ, which she prizes above all else.

Being away from home for five months of the year must be strange for the choir members, some of whom are as young as ten. But Lydia says she enjoys seeing new places and loves singing and dancing on stage.

She and two of the guys caring for her – Mark and Stephen – totally stole my heart as I sat listening to her story, and to the boys’ explanations of the Watoto Charity’s aims, which can be summed up by the following passage:

“Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:26-7).  

If you had asked Lydia a few years back what her future held, I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t have been too convinced she would even have a future. I want to see more children like Lydia with magical smiles and beautiful spirits who are capable of impacting our nation from the top down.

As well as breaking protocol by hugging Her Majesty, I’m pretty sure she broke the queen’s hearts for the orphans’ plight. I hope this precious little girl and the other children – all of whom have had similarly traumatic experiences – continue to touch the hearts of people around the world.

You can support the children of Watoto in lots of different ways. Visit to the Watoto website to find out more.

Read more from Joy in the next issue of Liberti magazine.