Feedback Madagascar has joined with Mary's Meals to deliver school meals to over 9000 pupils in almost 70 schools. 
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Three rural areas have been chosen for this project – Amoron’i Mania, Haute Matsiatra and Vatovavy-Fitovinany –representing the three principal regions where Feedback Madagascar currently works. These areas present very different geographical, socio-cultural and economic contexts. 

The planned menu for the schools will include rice with pinto beans on Mondays and Fridays, rice with greens and peanut sauce on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and rice with lentils on Wednesday. 

Managing director of Feedback Madagascar, Jamie Spencer, said: "It is fantastic that two charities from Argyll are partnering to launch this new project in Madagascar. Many of us take for granted that we will have three meals a day – with extra snacks when we feel peckish. Children in these areas will usually only eat once a day at most. Providing daily food at school will help the children to perform better in the classroom and feel safe in the knowledge that they will receive a nutritious meal every day the attend.” 

Mary's Meals Founder, Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, said: “We are so incredibly thankful that the dedication of our supporters and the local knowledge and experience of our new partner has allowed us to reach many more children in Madagascar, who desperately need our support. I was lucky enough to meet the wonderful community surrounding just one of the new programme schools earlier this year. 
 
 Magnus added: “I am so glad and humbled that – thanks to the continued generosity and goodness of our supporters, volunteers and our new partner – we are able to transform the lives of children at this school, and many others throughout Madagascar.”

As part of our training for the 2019 Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, we  launched a ‘Whisky for Water’ campaign to provide clean water to thousands in Madagascar, rowing up the West Coast of Scotland and ‘pillaging’ whisky from distilleries as we went.
Over the course of ten days, we covered about 300 miles, rowing from Lochranza on the Isle of Arran to Talisker on Skye, visiting the 16 distilleries that had very kindly donated whisky towards the campaign.
The donated whisky is being blended by a team of experts led by our father, Charles MacLean, and advised by the legendary Richard Paterson. We will release a film of the whole blending process, which is likely to lead to two or three distinctive expressions. The first batch of this unique and limited edition ‘Maclean’s Pillage’ blend will be auctioned by Royal Mile Whiskies; date (in early 2020) yet to be announced.
Every drop sold will make a difference.  All funds raised will go towards life-saving fresh water boreholes in Madagascar, and every single bottle will pay for clean water for life for several Malagasy families. Want to find out more, or be one of the first to taste the blend? Register here for updates.  Or make a bid: we are inviting supporters to make a ‘blind bid’, with the top 20 winning a unique bottle of ‘MacLean’s Pillage’, signed by Charles, Ewan, Jamie and Lachlan MacLean