Meet Narsimha Raju | Hope Story by Akshaya Patra

His interests revolve around sports. Meet Narsimha Raju who wants to become a Physical Education (PE) teacher when grows up; he says “Nobody can have a positive influence on a child’s life the way a PE teacher can.”

Narsimha Raju, a Standard V student from Visakhapatnam, comes from a humble background and is also a beneficiary of Akshaya Patra – an NGO in Visakhapatnam. His father is a driver with a travel company, while his mother looks after the house. Once the school day ends, he helps his mother with daily chores like shopping for groceries and, fetching water. In the evenings, he plays with neighbourhood children and ensures he completes his homework. He also looks after his younger sister Meghana, who studies in Standard III.

For a student, his career goal seems clear. He says, “My goal will be to make good sportsman, so that when they win, I will get both, appreciation and happiness.” Apparently, his school’s PE teacher of has had a good influence on the lives of children studying in this school. More importantly, Narsimha Raju has seen people — both, management and visitors – appreciate the teacher for his enthusiasm. No wonder then, it serves as an inspiration from him.

He is an Akshaya Patra’s beneficiary who is benefitted by the Foundation’s Mid-Day Meal Programme in Andhra Pradesh. To know more about Narsimha Raju, visit stories of hope.

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Lakshmi’s Hope Story by Akshaya Patra

Standing guard in defense of the country is a mighty ambition. Lakshmi Bai, a 13-year-old beneficiary of The Akshaya Patra Foundation, an NGO in Hubballi, studying in Std VII, wants to join the armed forces. The Siachen incident, where 10 soldiers were buried underneath snow, changed the way she looked at the armed forces and inspired her to pursue the dream of joining them. She admires the sacrifices soldiers make so that citizens can be safe.

Lakshmi’s hope story is that she wants to serve her nation 24*7. “Protecting the nation is the primary objective. Sleep is secondary,” she says, adding, “This is my tribute to the martyrs and the soldiers who are working day and night for our nation. A soldier takes care of his nation irrespective of the weather. He has to stand vigil when the nation sleeps peacefully. I admire our soldiers."

Lakshmi enjoys the mid-day meals served in her school in Karnataka’s Hubballi, by Akshaya Patra, an NGO in Hubballi. “I do not bring lunch from home as I like the meals served in school, especially the pulao. The meals are highly nutritious, so my mother is not worried about my health anymore,” she says confidently.

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A Tough Policeman in the Making, Who Also Sells Delicate Roses!

A police inspector ensures law and order is observed, maintains security, ascertains the welfare of society and deters criminal activities. Janardhan C, a 10-year-old-boy studying in Std V at Government Higher Primary School, Tarabanahalli, is a beneficiary of Akshaya Patra, an NGO in Bangalore which provides free mid-day meals to school children.  He aspires to safeguard the security of citizens and nab criminals and wants to become a police officer. “I will protect my nation against antisocial elements and nab criminals who are a threat to the common man,” says the determined young man. 

Hailing from Ballari, Janardhan’s family consists of his father Chandrappa and his mother Bhagyamma, along with 11-year-old Karthik, who studies in a different government school, in Std VI. The parents are labourers who work at construction sites and the family lives in a small house that resembles a shanty, without basic amenities like water. To support his family financially, Janardhan spends his free time cutting roses and selling them. His favourite hobby, he says, is reading. Recently he read a book on National Symbols.  He is very inquisitive and wants to understand about India and its uniqueness. He adds, “I like to read about everything that is Indian. I am proud of my nation.” A bright student, Janardhan’s teachers are all praise for him. His Science teacher, Latha Miss, says, “Janardhan is very intelligent and he learns everything in the class and clarifies his doubts, then and there.”

Akshaya Patra’s mid-day meal in Karnataka protects Janardhan and his brother, Karthik, from classroom hunger.  Their parents are happy to send their children to school, since they can learn as well as eat a scrumptious meal. Janardhan’s favourite dish is the ‘pulao’, which is served on Wednesdays. He explains, “I like the variety in the food provided by Akshaya Patra. I like all the meals but my favourite is pulao. There are a lot of vegetables, which give me the needed nutrients and vitamins to learn and grow.” Meanwhile, his brother Karthik, whose is also an Akshaya Patra beneficiary, likes Bisibele Baath the most.  Both of them also love the sweets served on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Akshaya Patra’s meals give marginalised children like Janardhan the courage to dream. Its kitchens, pan-India, ignites stories of hope at the break of dawn, preparing a wholesome school lunch for children of government schools every day!

Read his full story at Stories of Hope.

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Story of a Student Who Wants to Become a Social Worker

What is social work? ‘Work carried out by trained personnel with the aim of alleviating the conditions of those people in a community suffering from social deprivation’ states Oxford Dictionary.

In this story of hope, we would like to put the spotlight on her dream because if there’s one thing she needs, it is an equal opportunity in life. Nagamma is a Std V student from Government Higher Primary School, Tarabanahalli. Her house has a thatched roof and a tin sheet door and is shared by five members in the family; two siblings and parents who work as construction labourers.

Nagamma is a beneficiary of Akshaya Patra - an NGO in Bangalore that provides mid-day meals in Karnataka and other states in India. A beneficiary yes, but Nagamma is also one among the 179.6 million people in India who are living below poverty line. They do not have a land of their own and stay in a mud house on government land. In a situation like this, Akshaya Patra becomes a support system for Nagamma. Along with one square-meal a day, her education continues to be uninterrupted.

If there’s one thing Nagamma needs, it is an equal opportunity in life. To know full report on Nagamma and her background, read her story at dream to become a social worker.

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Her story teaches you two life lessons – to dream big and to save water!

Vidhi is a student of Class VII in Surat, Gujarat. Her story was documented by Akshaya Patra, an NGO in Surat which provides mid-day meals to over 1.6 million children in India.

Today - a student, tomorrow - a doctor. That’s Vidhi’s dream. Although she is yet to decide a particular subject to specialize, she is well aware that the path will invite hard work. “I know it will be difficult and I will have to work hard for it, but I am willing to do it,” she says. We believe it’s her determination to experience her dream someday.

Vidhi, like many students, enjoys participating in extracurricular activities such as dancing, drawing and elocution competitions, etc.  The last time she participated in an elocution competition, her topic was ‘The importance of saving water’. “If we stop wasting water by doing something as simple as turning our taps off properly, some of our water scarcity problems will definitely be solved.” She also spoke about implementing drip irrigation system as an effective measure to minimise water usage in agriculture.

As an NGO in Surat, Akshaya Patra which provides mid-day meal is encouraging 1,43,293 children to attend school. Vidhi is also an Akshaya Patra beneficiary, who apart from receiving education also enjoys nutritious mid-day meals. She says, “The food provided to us is good for health as it contains many nutrients required by our body. We get soybean, Dal Bhaat, Dal Dhokli, Thepla, etc. I like soybean and Dal the most, but I also like other food items that we get.”

Vidhi’s father works in a mall, while her mother works as a house help. Because the day begins early in a hectic situation, there’s an assurance for the family that Vidhi will be given food in school. “Nobody will like it if Akshaya Patra stops providing meals to our school, because then, we will have to get our lunchbox from home and that will be difficult for most of us.”

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Akshaya Patra’s primary focus continues to be Mid-Day Meal Programme which aims to end classroom hunger among school going children. In this journey, your contribution will make a difference for many children. You can donate for education in India by choosing to sponsor a child or more!

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Ashwini – Beneficiary with a Flourishing Dream

Food for Education has benefitted millions of children in India in remarkable ways. Ashwini Beriskar, a 13-year-old student from Surat, is an Akshaya Patra beneficiary who gets mid-day meals in her school. Akshaya Patra team, an NGO in Surat and other places in India, recently met Ashwini who shared her dreams of becoming an Information Technology (IT) professional.

Mid-day meals in Surat have been operational since 2012 and today, 337 government and aided schools in this city are benefitted by Akshaya Patra’s school lunch Programme. Ashwini is one the students who represents many others who are just like her; determined and proud of her family. Her father, rickshaw driver, is the only earning member in the family and mother is a housewife. 

As a student, she likes participating in essay contests, dancing competitions and enjoys one of the most challenging subjects – Math. And as a beneficiary, she enjoys mid-day meals provided in her school; her favourite dish is Khichdi. She says, "These mid-day meals are important because not everyone brings tiffin from home, especially children whose parents leave early for work and don’t have the time to prepare food." Then, there are students who get food from home sometimes. The rest of the days they are dependent on Akshaya Patra food. Even those who bring tiffin eat this food.”

For complete story, read at Ashwini – Akshaya Patra Beneficiary

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Giving for Charity Changes Everything! Read the Story

Ask us what’s the most meaningful aspect of our work and we would be happy to shout out our answer – feeding India’s school children nutritious and healthy meals every day.

In the state that promotes itself as 'One State, Many Worlds' to the globe, The Akshaya Patra Foundation was born with a mission to curb classroom hunger. Karnataka is not only rich in history but is also home to over 64 million people. While this number can boast of manpower and productivity, we also ought to focus on crafting a healthy future for children in Karnataka.

In an effort to make this state a better place for school children, Akshaya Patra, a charitable trust in Bangalore has implemented its Mid-Day Meal Programme across the country to feed the hungry and provide freshly-cooked meals to over 4 lakh students in Karnataka. 

Everyone has a beautiful story

Recently, one of our representatives from Akshaya Patra visited a beneficiary school in Jyothipura, Bengaluru and came back with an enthusiastic story of a girl studying in Standard VIII.

Meet Kirti. She is simple, innocent and full of life. Inspired by dance shows on television, Kirti has built a dream for herself – to become a professional dancer. In fact, to mould her dancing skills, she travels to Hoskote located 15 km away from her residence only to learn the art from her master. While this is not a common dream for a girl whose family depends on daily wages, Kirti receives complete support from her father, who is a construction worker in Bengaluru.

Good music is a requisite for great dance. When we spoke to her about her interests, she said, “I love songs with peppy tunes and would love to participate in competitions.” Although dancing defines her, Kirti does not compromise on studies. She is a lover of math and enjoys solving puzzles and math problems. According to her, problem-solving gives her the skills to tackle everyday concerns.

Is there anything else that motivates Kirti to attend school? Mid-day meals have encouraged many families to send their children to schools because they are assured of one wholesome meal. Kirti loves Akshaya Patra’s food as it helps her concentrate on studies and also gives her strength to dance. Her story shines bright. 

How impactful is Mid-Day Meal Programme?

According to a report in Times of India, Akshaya Patra’s Mid-Day Meal Programme in Karnataka has witnessed an increase of school enrolment in the last two years – growth of over 6,000 children in 2015-16 as compared to 2013-14 and provides meals to 678 schools as compared to 568 in 2013-14.  Above all, the Foundation focuses on empowering children through education by eliminating classroom hunger.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/Karnatakas-dropout-rate-dips-as-midday-meals-lure-kids/articleshow/51690096.cms

Although Akshaya Patra receives significant support from the government to address hunger among children in India, it is collective support from donors that has stabilized its service.

To make this initiative more effective, you can sponsor a child’s mid-day meals for a year by contributing only Rs 750.

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