The Dance of Hunger!

Do you know what it feels like to be starving? Have you felt the cramps in your stomach when it’s empty? Whether or not, you have experienced this, lakhs of children across India live this reality each day! Akshaya Patra, an NGO is striving committedly to alter this reality for these children.

When was the last time you did not receive or eat your meal on time? When was the last time you got those hunger cramps in your stomach? When was the last time you really had to go out of your way to get some food? How did you feel when your stomach was empty?

All these questions may either seem relevant to you or it may be completely irrelevant to you. But, the point is, lakhs of children across India wake up to hunger and go back to sleep in hunger! These children are living each day without the assurance of something as basic as food. At a tender age, their mind and heart revolve around the worry of ‘Will I get something to eat today?’ At a time when they should be playing, making friends, attending school, exploring and learning new things, their childhood is spent in looking for ways to quieten the hunger pangs. So, are we doing anything to liberate these children from this grim situation?

Read more: https://medium.com/@akshayapatraindia/the-dance-of-hunger-e720b9136a37

Read more »

An NGO in Ahmedabad Supporting Hopes of Children

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an Indian NGO implementing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme across 12 states of India, and Gujarat is one among them. The Foundation is headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka and made its foray into Gujarat in 2009. Since then, strategically, it has expanded its reach across five locations in the state as an NGO in Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, Vadodara, Surat, and Kalol. Currently, the Foundation is providing meals to 4,07,452 children in 1,621 government schools across the state.

Akshaya Patra is providing mid-day meal in Gujarat from its five centralised kitchens located in Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, Vadodara, Surat, and Kalol. Each of these kitchens strictly adheres to hygiene and cleanliness practices while preparing meals and ensure that the cooked meals are nutritious, tasty, and hygienic. And, so that children readily consume the meals, the kitchen follows a locally palatable menu.

Akshaya Patra is cognisant of the fact that in most cases food brings children to school. It is an incentive for parents to send their children to school with the hope that their children will receive at least one stomach full of meal a day. And, once children are at school, they also receive education empowering them to become resourceful and independent in the future. Thus, while providing regular mid-day meals in the existing schools, Akshaya Patra, as an NGO in Ahmedabad, also strives to extend its service to other locations of the state.
By providing mid-day meal in Gujarat, Akshaya Patra is not only supporting health and education of children but is also upholding dreams of millions of children. Here is an anecdote of one of the beneficiaries:

Mayur Kanaji Thakor, a bright student of Golvanta Primary School, Gujarat aspires to be a doctor. He comes from a family of four with his father as the sole breadwinner earning a monthly income of Rs. 6,000. But, this not-so-privileged economic background has not deterred Mayur’s determination and he is confident that he will achieve his dream. An Akshaya Patra beneficiary, Mayur’s favourite food at school is Dal-Dhokli. Read the full story of Mayur here.

There are many more such dreams and they are all waiting for a little support from you. Hence, Akshaya Patra gives you a platform to be a part of young yet determined dreams of millions of children. You can support meals and hopes of children by choosing to donate to charity. Your contribution to Akshaya Patra will be diligently used in providing wholesome meals to children thereby empowering them with health and education. Feed a child, nourish a hope!

Read more »

How supporting Akshaya Patra helps society?

Non-governmental organisations, generally referred to as NGOs are organisations or groups of like-minded people working towards a common goal i.e. making this world a better place. The work of NGOs ranges from human rights to animal rights, child development to skill development, safeguarding environment to the well-being of lives; implying that a plethora of factors contributes to the overall upliftment of the society. Here, I will keep the focus on child development and see how The Akshaya Patra Foundation - an Indian NGO for children is making a difference and how can you contribute to their efforts.

Akshaya Patra has been in the service of children since 2000. The NGO provides nutritious school meals to children of government and government-aided schools every day. With the vision, ‘No child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger’, the Foundation strives to serve ‘unlimited food for education’ to support health and schooling of children. Akshaya Patra operates in a Public-Private Partnership model thus working in partnership with the Central Government of India, State Governments and philanthropic donors – Corporates and Individuals. Presently, Akshaya Patra is nourishing more than 1.7 million children across 12 states of India with the plans of benefitting more children by expanding its operational reach to more locations.

Why should you support Akshaya Patra?

It is reported that the largest section of India’s population is under the age of 25, of which 39% are children aged between 0 and 18 years; implying that if we do not want to embrace a future that will have generations of dependent and unskilled population, then we need to take care of them now. We must act up to provide food, education, proper care, and avenues to develop skills for this 39%.

Studies indicate that the mid-day meal has significantly increased school attendance and enrolment, decreased drop-out rate, improved health, as well as enhanced socialisation among children. So, when you support Akshaya Patra you are contributing towards the development of children in particular, and progress of the nation in general. The below testimonials of teachers from Akshaya Patra’s beneficiary schools further explains the need to support school meals of children:

• Ismail Malik, Principal, Antti Kumar Prathamik Shala, Padra Taluk, Vadodara, Gujarat said, "The mid-day meal has brought a tremendous decline in the student drop-out rate. In the primary school, the increase in attendance is nearly as high as 60% to 70%. The numerous awards that now decorate the school office are a testimony to this."
• G. Ranganath, Head Master, Government High School, Policy Colony, Karnataka said, "The government, by partnering with organisations like Akshaya Patra have ensured that children receive tasty and nutritious meals. The programme has been successful in reducing child labour and improving school enrolment and attendance."
• Jai Pinto, Physical Education Teacher, St. Aloysius School, Cleveland Town, Bengaluru said, "The school's association with Akshaya Patra has been very fulfilling. Children are happy with the wholesome nutritious meals provided. There are fewer dropouts from the marginalised section of the society and I have seen a significant improvement in the enthusiasm levels of children.”

How can you support Akshaya Patra?

The Foundation acknowledges that every support it has received has contributed significantly in its operational expansion thereby helping to increase its beneficiary base. Thus, it provides an active platform for you to be a part of the Foundation’s efforts. You can choose to:

• Become an NGO volunteer;
• Sponsor meals of children;
• Sponsor kitchen equipment;
• Create a fundraising campaign;
• Make a donation in honour of someone;
• Be an online mascot;
• Be a CSR partner; 
• Celebrate special occasions with the organisation; or
• Participate in the campaigns and events organised by the NGO.

In conclusion, we must understand that the efforts of government and NGOs will fructify only when we all contribute to it. So, let us not just discuss issues, instead, step out and act to create a change!

Read more »

Akshaya Patra Beneficiary – An Engineer in the Making!

Dreaming is one thing and the quest to achieve it despite all odds is altogether a different story. As children, we must have had our special dreams of pursuing a particular profession. But, over time many of us negotiated with our dreams either due to lack of resources, unavoidable circumstances, or maybe we didn’t hold on to our dreams as much as we should have. However, that’s not how Manikanta possesses his dream! And, that’s not how The Akshaya Patra Foundation, a mid-day meal NGO in Bangalore perceives each dream!

Manikanta is a Standard VIII student at GHPS School, Doddabettahalli, Karnataka. He aspires to be an engineer and does not let any challenges and hurdles come in the way of his aspiration. Manikanta hails from an economically challenged background. He is well aware of his family’s situation and the struggle his parents go through every day to support the family of six. Manikanta’s parents work as labourers and their earning isn’t sufficient to support his dream. Yet, this has not deterred this young boy’s zeal and determination to become an engineer.

An Akshaya Patra beneficiary, Manikanta says, “I love the pulav (a dish made of rice and vegetables) served at school. I love Akshaya Patra’s meals as it is hot and tasty.” He is one of the millions of children getting benefitted by the Foundation’s mid-day meal programme in schools. The programme ensures nutritious school lunch for over 4 million children in Karnataka and over 7 million children across India, on each school day.

The mid-day meal is a source of nutrition for children. It is a significant factor that brings children to school every day, provides them with the required nutrition, and allows them to get closer to their dreams. So that Akshaya Patra can continue providing wholesome meals to Manikanta and many children like him, it requires your support.

Change occurs only when you act! So, step up and actively contribute your time and resources towards this NGO in Bangalore. Your involvement will open avenues for millions of young children to achieve their aspirations and dreams.

Read Manikanta’s full story at Meet Manikanta: Our Would-be Engineer!

Read more »

Water Conservation Methods at Akshaya Patra Kitchens

On the occasion of World Water Day which is going to be celebrating on March 22nd, Akshaya Patra likes to share few of its water conservation methods which are implemented in its kitchen. This NGO runs pilot projects in its kitchens focussing on every area of kitchen processes and upon achieving favourable results implements it in the daily operations. Some of the measures that have clearly resulted in reduced water consumption are:

To see complete details about the conservation methods and tips given by the beneficiaries, visit: World Water Day

Read more »

His Love for Gotipua Dance - A Traditional Dance form of Odisha

It is often said that follow your passion but very few are allowed to do it. A student of standard V in Government Kapoteshwar High School in Raghurajpur, Puri, Jyotiranjan joined the Padmashri Guru Magunidas Gotipua Gurukula Niketan (dance academy) to learn Gotipua at the age of seven. He already has to his credit over 20 performances in various cities of Odisha, including Puri and Bhubaneshwar, as well as metros such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata.

Gotipua, a traditional dance form has an important place in the culture of Odisha. It is performed by young boys and involves a range of acrobatic moves – right from handstands to human pyramid.

Jyotiranjan wants to put this dance form on the world map so that it does not disappear like several other traditional dance forms in the country. His long-term plan is to master the dance form and help to promote it all over the world by teaching others. “If we do not save these dance forms, there will come a day when no one will know about them,” he says innocently. At present, he is happy that it gives him an opportunity to travel to different parts of the country. The dance also gives him an exposure to the world outside the heritage town of Raghurajpur.

Short film on Jyotiranjan Das - Gotipua Dancer

His family is based in Puri. His father Nalinikanta Das works as a priest, while his mother Sailabaila is a homemaker. Jyotiranjan lives in the hostel facility provided by the dance academy which eases the burden on the family. Here children wake up 4 am and begin their dance practice which goes on for two hours. After practice, they do their homework and leave for school. The academy also takes care of their students’ breakfast and dinner, while Akshaya Patra an NGO in Odisha takes care of their lunch at the school.

Jyotiranjan says he likes coming to school because he gets to learn about different things in life and also play kho-kho and kabaddi with his friends. As for academic learning, he enjoys Odiya literature. He also likes environmental science and geography as they give information about the nature, planet, different countries, etc.

The 10-yr-old Jyotiranjan is confident that he will make it big in the world of Gotipua and to a great extent, his confidence stems from the exposure he has got over the course of time. As for his parents, they want him to focus on both – dance and academics and make a name for himself all over the world.

Currently, Akshaya Patra’s school lunch programme feeds over 1.6 million children in 13,800+ schools across 12 states of India. We have to make sure that no child suffers from malnutrition and can have a bright life. You can be a part of this journey and your donation can transform life of a child. You can donate for education in India by choosing to sponsor a child or more!

Read more »

Our Interns Experience at Great Place to Work

Every students prefers to take internship at the companies or organisation which is having a great place to work and atmosphere. The Akshaya Patra Foundation is one among the Great Place to Work. Many students who wants to intern in charities prefer Akshaya Patra as their choice, as it gives you more exposure and experience. Recently it blogged on the interns experience and in the first series of it few interns shared their experience of working at the organisation.

You can read about their experience here: Internship Experience

Read more »