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.”

---

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!

Read more »

Manthan – Ready to Conquer the Stage | Hope Stories

Life, with its many uncertainties and challenges, is made a lot better by the various forms of entertainment and the creative forces behind them – entertainers. Manthan Jikadra, a beneficiary of Akshaya Patra, an NGO in Surat, wants to be one such entertainer. This diamond in the rough, studying in Std VI in Maharana Pratap Primary School in Surat, Gujarat, dreams of to being a stage actor and entertaining a live audience with his dramatic performances.

Akshaya Patra Beneficiary

Manthan diligently attends school, as he believes that education is the vehicle to his dreams. He also likes opportunities to participate in different programmes arranged in school. Recently, the young boy, the son of a father who is a teacher and a mother who runs a small-time tailoring business, took part in an elocution competition centered on the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

Akshaya Patra’s delightful little blue van that delivers its mid-day meal in Surat to Manthan’s school has made quite an impression on his mind – he remembers its details vividly. About the food, he says, “Akshaya Patra food is tasty and protein-rich, which is why we like it. It is very nutritious, prepared using carrots, pumpkins, and other such healthy vegetables. The menu is different every day; sometimes there is Dal Dhokli, sometimes Khichdi.”

In conclusion, Manthan opines, “If we want to be healthy, we should eat this food. It helps in our overall physical and mental development.” The NGO’s food for education initiative is thus enriching lives of school children and powering their dreams for the future.

Read more »

Dancing Towards Her Ambitions - Akshaya Patra Beneficiary

The Food for Education programme by The Akshaya Patra Foundation, an NGO in Surat, feeds the dreams of 1,43,293 children in 337 schools in the city. Among these dreams is that of Divya Chandrakar, an 11-year-old Akshaya Patra beneficiary studying in Std VI in Shri Baba Amte Primary School, Surat. This young lady wants to be a figure in elegance and become a dancer. 

Like many of her counterparts, Divya’s interests are varied, from academics to co-curricular activities. She also likes to participate in competitions such as drawing and dance contests and Sports Day. “At school, we can study, play, learn new things and have nutritious meals,” says Divya, the daughter of a house painter father and a mother who works in a paper mill. There are numerous children like her, who receive a mid-day meal in Surat to power the pursuit of their aspirations and keep them in school.

Divya is fond of the food served in her school as part of the Foundation’s school lunch programme. The names of several items on the menu are on the tip of her tongue and she delightfully lists khichdi, roti, Naan Khatai and more! Her favourite dish is Dal Chawal.  She concludes, “Some of us don’t get food from home and can’t afford to eat outside, so the food provided by Akshaya Patra is important to us. Without it, we’ll feel hungry and won’t be able to study. It is this food that gives me the energy to concentrate and the enthusiasm to dance.”

Read her full story at: Stories of Children

Read more »

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

Read more »