A remarkable eight-year-old boy has been giving away all of his pocket money to help hungry children across the world.
Oliver Clark first heard about Mary’s Meals when his mum Aisling Clark and dad Patrick Steeman were taking donations to the charity’s shop in Oban.
Argyll based Mary’s Meals aims to provide chronically hungry children with one meal every school day, encouraging education that can lift them out of poverty in later life.
The charity helps children across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean
Mr Steeman said: “We often put our old clothes, toys and bits and pieces to the Mary’s Meals shop and Oliver has been in the car. When we have gone to the shop we have told him a bit about the charity.
“He is one of those kids, he sees the world slightly differently for someone his age. He just wants to help everybody. He says, ‘people shouldn’t be starving in the world, we should try and do something about this,’.”
Oliver took matters into his own hands, filled his piggy bank with £32 and handed it in to the Mary’s Meals shop.
The shop assistant explained to him about the charity providing children with their daily meals at school in porridge pots and gave him one to use as a piggy bank.
Oliver filled the pot with £84 and promptly donated all of that money too. His second porridge pot is already nearly full.
Mr Steeman, said: “He wants to keep doing it until he is 18 then he says he is going to go to Africa and help people.
“He gets a bit of pocket money now and again and he puts it in. His gran gave him £20 holiday money in October and he put it straight in. I tried to get him to keep a wee bit for himself but he said, ‘I don’t need it, other people need it more than me,’.”
Oliver said: “I just heard my mum and dad talking about Mary’s Meals and I thought I’d do it.
“I think it’s not really fair for the children in Africa and I think everyone should really just have a fair life.”
Oliver, who has two sisters, Aoibheann, seven and Maria, 15, and a brother Malcolm, 23, would like to be a teacher when he grows up. He is a pupil at St Columba’s Primary in Oban.
Head of fundraising at Mary’s Meals, Hannah Stewart, said: “What a wonderful gift from Oliver. His kindness will go a long way to help change the lives of hungry children. Thank you!”
