How Education Can Change the World?

If you were asked to deliver a speech or write an article on the importance of education, could you do that? Yes, bet you could. Who cannot do something as simple as that? Except those, who never get a chance to know what education is. Except those, who are forced by circumstances to forego education and engage themselves in doing menial jobs to earn a meal for the day. Except those, whose financial conditions provide them no alternative to dropping out of school.

Despite knowing the prime importance of education, many of us hardly think of sponsoring an unfed child or donating for education in India. A top NGO in India that provides mid-day meals to school children, Akshaya Patra, leaves no stone unturned in freeing these children from the abject conditions of deprivation and feeding the children so as to give them a chance to shape their future the way they have always dreamt.

Read to know how mid-day meal benefits in providing education to children and securing a better future for all of us

By letting the unrecognized talents come up

Creating opportunities of learning for children from marginalised sections is often a promising deal because very likely, many of these kids have talents and passion but do not get a chance to bring them up. Every time we donate for education in India, we open the doors of hope for kids waiting for a chance to pursue their dreams. The beneficiaries of Akshaya Patra, with a spark in their eyes, proudly tell about the change in their lives since they’ve joined the school and started learning.

By achieving the two most critical sustainable goals

Through this endeavor of providing unlimited food for education and defeating hunger, Akshaya Patra aims to achieve the two most critical UN sustainable goals: Zero Hunger and Quality Education. The organisation has shown immense commitment toward their goal of feeding the unfed and providing learning opportunities to the underprivileged. Its outstanding work has made Akshaya Patra bag numerous awards, making it one of the top NGOs in India. With the continual expansion of such programmes, the literacy level would soon and surely increase.

By providing a strong stand against all other national challenges

Like Nelson Mandela described it as the most powerful weapon that you can use to change the world, education is rightly a key to eliminating gender inequality, poverty, crimes, and foster peace in societies. Akshaya Patra realises that education is a way of spreading general awareness and a route out of other challenges that hinder national growth. This foundation has been working in response to this realization since 16 years and has received global recognition by being ranked the 23rd NGO among the top 100 NGOs in the world, by the Global Journal.

You can donate for education in India by supporting organisations like Akshaya Patra who are already working dedicatedly for the cause by providing mid-day meals to children. We have a responsibility to promote learning programmes and donate for at least some of those millions of children who cannot afford enrolment in schools.

Your contribution can transform a child’s life. Let’s give them a lifetime gift of smile and hope today! Sponsor a child, today!

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Serving Hope in Every Meal by Akshaya Patra

As a baby, you’d cry for food and as a school child, you would run home right after the school bell rang because your stomach groaned for food. Your mother would then serve you a little snack to help you along with your homework. After a good wholesome dinner, you would call it a day! However, this isn’t the case for many children in our country simply because their situation does not allow them to expect a meal. If you’ve been cared for, how about you donate in honour of someone who looked after you? Read on to know why your contribution can make a difference in a child’s life.

India is home to one-third of the world’s poor and millions of children in the country are away from school to earn a single meal a day. Although hunger is a prevailing condition, we believe there are sufficient resources to provide food for children in the country. The role of NGOs have expanded drastically over the years and at The Akshaya Patra Foundation, it is a promise kept to feed a wholesome meal to the underserved children across many states. With an ever-growing dedication, The Foundation has been feeding nutritious meals to more than 1.5 million children in India and aims to reach 5 million children by 2020.

Since its inception, The Foundation’s cause has been receiving generous support from many individuals, organisations and the Government. With the growing support, we believe we can help children escape classroom hunger. Most of our beneficiaries do not miss school only because they are served nutritious mid-day meals every day. For Ashwini, who is benefitting from Akshaya Patra’s mid-day meal programme, it is important that her studies are not interrupted due to a devastating situation in the family. In Ashwini’s life, each mid-day meal plays an important role by encouraging her to attend school on a regular basis. To know more of Ashwini’s hopes and that of other children’s whose education is assured through mid-day meals, you can visit hope stories.

Children benefiting from Akshaya Patra’s mid-day meals are more than encouraged to continue their studies with a hope of achieving something big—for it is hunger that steals their right to learn. When a child has to strive for food or sleep on an empty stomach, it creates an injustice to the humanity itself. By bringing nutritious food closer to children, Akshaya Patra helps them concentrate on education because when the school bell rings, they can run to the playground instead.

You can care for our cause too!

Our focus continues to be hunger relief among school goers through nutritious mid-day meals every day! To ensure that a child is not deprived of education due to hunger, you can contribute Rs. 750 which feeds a child for an entire year! You can also make your contribution by donating in honour of someone you admire. By this, you not only honour an individual but you also honour the cause of ensuring that children are fed.

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Akshaya Patra Serving Health and Well-Being in Schools

The major drawback in India is that children from low-income families are not entitled to proper education for lack of food. The children tend to remain hungry as their parents cannot afford them a meal. For them, a square meal is more important than acquiring education. So they accompany parents to work places. As a result, attendance has dropped down and drop-outs have increased.  It is estimated that more than 50% of Indian children drop out of the schools at primary level.  Unfortunately, India shares 34% percent of the world’s illiterate population.

Without education a child can never progress. Understanding the link between education and nutrition, Akshaya Patra serves unlimited food for education keeping their growth requirements in mind. The meals are delivered with proper nutrition; quality, prescribed calories and safety. Adequate supply of micro nutrients as iron, folic acid, zinc, fibre, essential fatty acids, calcium, carbohydrates, protein vitamin A are supplemented through the mid-day meals. During lunch servings; roti, rice, rice khichadi, curd rice, vegetable pulao, mixed vegetable curry, sambar, dhal, rasam etc. are served. The sambar and curries contain lots of vegetables which have essential nutrients that are required for the adequate growth of children. The rice and wheat served meets adequate standards as prescribed by The Government of India.  Every meal served is warm, fresh, nutritious and ready to eat. So hunger, which is an obstacle to children’s health, education and survival are tackled by the nutritious mid-day meals.

The mid-day meal solves two of the critical United Nations Millennium Development Goals. The first is to End Poverty and Hunger and second is to achieve Universal Education. Food for education solves the obstacle of hunger that is a hindrance for education and health.

Hunger hinders a child’s learning process. Let no child miss the opportunity to attend school for the lack of food.  Let us donate for the NGO so that it can reach out to more children.  Let us work together to serve children and end class room hunger. It takes just Rs. 750 to feed a child for a year! Every donation of Rs. 500 or above made to Akshaya Patra is eligible for 100% tax exemption under section 35 AC or 50% tax exemption under Section 80 G of the Indian Income Tax.

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10 Things to Know About Akshaya Patra Mid-day Meals

Education leads to the all round development in the life of a child. It is a necessary requirement in the progress of a nation. In the government schools, though education is provided freely most of the children tend to be drop outs due to inherent socio-economic factors.  Most of the parents would not be in a condition to send their children to schools with a proper lunch and hence children would have to starve during the lunch time. Without proper food a child will not have the energy to concentrate in the class and gradually they will lose interest in studies. They have to accompany their parents to work for a meagre income to buy a meal at least a day.

The Government of India started the mid-day meal programme keeping in mind the children hailing from low income families in government schools. To reach out the benefit to more and more children the State Governments partners with NGOs like Akshaya Patra to implement the Mid-Day Meal Programme. The programme supplies free mid-day meals on school days for children in government and government aided schools supported under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, and National Child Labour Project schools run by the ministry of labour.

Advantages of Akshaya Patra mid-day meal 

• It is the worlds largest meal programme serving 1.5 million children everyday, across 24 locations in India.
• The not-for-profit organization started the initiative in 2000 with just 1,500 children.
• Addresses two of the most burning challenges in India – hunger and education. 
• Boosts universalisation of primary education which provides free educational opportunities to all children of the society until they complete the age of fourteen years
• Leads to an increase in enrolment in schools as parents are ready to send their children to schools. In the same way students are ready to come to schools.
• Leads to decrease drop outs rates in schools as the children need not go in search of a square meal. 
• Serves as nutritional support to students which suffice the health of children.
• A successful public-private partnership in collaboration with The Central Governments and various State Governments, corporate houses and individual donors.
• Serves nutritious meals to anganwadi children in India so that they can retain a healthy childhood.
• Improves socialization among children from different castes and sects.
• Empower women through employment in the kitchens which would help them to lead an independent life.

In fact, it is because of the success of the Akshaya Patra mid-day meals, that food and education are reached out to multitudes of children in India, thus serving as a catalyst to the progress of our nation. The mission of the NGO is to feed 5 million children by 2020. So let us donate for the children so that the organisation can widen its reach to other states in India. It takes Rs. 750 to feed a child for a year! 

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Send Children Back to School

Its back-to-school-time! Quintessential summer days of having a blast and lazing around is finally over as children gear up for their new academic year. But often, poverty and paucity of resources prevent families from sending their children for another year at school.

Source: blog.akshayapatra.org/contribute-to-send-children-back-to-school

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How Akshaya Patra's Mid-day Meal Programme Supports Education

“Students can’t focus if their stomachs hurt because they are hungry”- Diane Gillen

Children from low income families study in government schools as education is provided free to them. Still a large percentage of children do not attend schools as they can’t concentrate with hungry stomachs. Most of the children accompany their parents to their work places for a meagre income which will enable them to fulfil their hunger. Thus these children end up as a drop-out putting their future at stake.

Acknowledging this burning issue, Akshaya Patra serves mid-day meals in partnership with The Government of India and various State Governments. The organisation feeds 1.5 million school children in 11,360 Government schools and Government-aided schools every day.

The need for an adequate meal

Without adequate food with proper nutritional values, a child cannot concentrate in class and memorize what he is taught. It leads to lower IQ and learning disabilities. The Akshaya Patra mid-day meals meet the nutritional requirements essential for the growth and development of a child. Hot, nutritious and hygienic meals are delivered with prescribed calories. Adequate supply of micro nutrients as iron, folic acid, zinc, fibre, essential fatty acids, calcium, carbohydrates, protein and vitamin A are supplemented through lunch servings with roti, rice khichdi, curd rice, vegetable pulao, mixed vegetable curry, sambar, dal, rasam etc.  Nine varieties of dal, five varieties of pulses, soy chunks and different varieties of nutritious vegetables are added into the sambar. The rice and wheat served, meets adequate standards as prescribed by The Government of India. As the organisation understands that the mid-day meal is the only proper meal of the day for many of the children in a government school, unlimited food with high nutritional value are served.

The procedure to serve a nutritious meal

The vegetables are washed properly and stored in refrigerator to retain its nutritious value. A complete quality inspection is done to meet with Akshaya Patra’s Raw Material Specifications, adopted from the Food Safety Standards Act 2006 (FSSA). All the kitchen equipment are sanitised before usage. All the food items are transferred hot into the vessels untouched by hands.

Each meal is cooked and transported under hygienic conditions by customised delivery vans which transport mid-day meals to various schools at the right time. Meals are delivered in stainless steel containers which keeps food hot and fresh for long intervals. Every vehicle is steam-sterilised before the loading.  The vehicles have a puffed body to reduce loss of temperature. The honeycomb structure inside, holds the vessels upright and keeps the freshness of the cooked meal intact.  This is how every nutritious meal is served warm and fresh.  

The lunch at school is a bonus that motivates children to stay at school. The mid-day meal programme aims at enhancing enrolment, level of concentration and meets nutritional necessities of the children. So hunger, which is an obstacle to health, education and a bright future are tackled by mid-day meals with high nutritious value.

It is our responsibility as part of the society to support NGO with donation. It’s our responsibility to help the cause of fighting malnutrition, hunger and promoting education. It’s our responsibility to feed the hungry children.

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Education is Our Right Too!

To make India a better place for girl children, the nation should protect rights of girl children, ensure gender equality and focus on education for girls.

Here is the blog on Education is Our Right Too!

For women the most straightforward and rational path to empowerment is education! With education comes the immediate benefit of empowered girls who can participate equally like men in the political, social, cultural and economic affairs of one’s country. The benefit of educated girls does not limit to well-establishment on an individual level but it also leads to the depth and quality of a nation’s workforce.

Read more: blog.akshayapatra.org/education-is-our-right-too

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Resolving Global Issues Surrounding Children

Millions of children across the world are denied the opportunity to enjoy childhood and are still in search of basic necessities like food, education, shelter and safety.  Child trafficking, child marriage, poverty, malnutrition and child labour are some of the main global Issues surrounding children.

Child trafficking affects millions of children across the world. Children are bought and sold for various activities including forced labour.  According to a 2012 report released by the International Labour Organization, 21 million people are trapped in forced labour across the world.  Of the total, 5.5 million are below 18 years.  Children’s Organization of Southeast Asia (COSA), Children of the Night, Called to Rescue, Love 146 and Maiti Nepal are some of the charities working to end child trafficking and exploitation across the world.

Similarly, more than 700 million women marry before turning 18 and about 250 million get into wedlock before age 15, according to a data released by the UNICEF in 2014. Though efforts to end child marriage have been going, the custom is still prevalent in several parts of India. The after effects include early pregnancy, school dropout, violence, abuse and exposure to HIV and AIDS. Some of the charitable organisations trying hard to free young children from the clutches of early marriage include Girls Not Brides, Care and Breakthrough.

Poverty is another issue we need to take care of. About 1 billion in the world live in poverty, according to UNICEF.  Poor nutrition claims 3.1 million young lives every year. In developing countries, about 100 million children are underweight and 66 million primary school children go hungry to school. Poor nutrition can damage the immune system and increase a child’s risk of contracting deadly diseases. It can also affect learning ability, cognitive and physical development of children.

Some of the organisations fighting hunger and poverty include Action against Hunger, the U.N. World Food Programme and Bread for the World Institute. In India, apart from the government, charitable organisations like The Akshaya Patra Foundation, Annamrita, No Hungry Child, Annapoorna of Adamya Chetana distribute mid-day meals in schools. Initiative taken by these charitable organisations has helped fight hunger and improve nutritional status of underprivileged children in India.

It’s also shocking to know that about 100 million children are homeless and live on streets.  The reasons differ from war or poverty to harmful diseases. Some of the children are orphans, while some live in streets to support their families. Street children, according to UNICEF, are the most difficult to protect and provide education and care.  They face risks from various sources including the police and are sometimes murdered as part of the cleaning up of the city. Charitable organisations like Youth Advocate Program International (YAP International), Consortium for Street Children (CSC), Dreamz (Mumbai), Support (Mumbai) and Railway Children have helped improve the situation and given new meanings to the lives of street children across the world.

Image Courtesy: Akshaya Patra

In addition to this, millions of children today are trapped in child labour. Children are often forced to work in several dangerous environments.  A data from UNICEF shows that about 150 million children are engaged in child labour including mining, quarrying, domestic service or agriculture.

However, the number of children who work in India has come down over the past few years.  In 2011, only 43.53 lakh children aged between five and 14 were working compared to 1.26 crore in 2001, thanks to the work of organisations like International Labour Organization, The Child Labor Coalition and Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA).  Apart from them, the list of charities for children also includes UNICEF, United Nations and Save the Children.

There is no doubt that these issues have made children’s lives miserable and hard. But, the situation has definitely improved than earlier, thanks to the thousands of charitable organisations across the world that have engaged in charities for children.

If the good work of charitable organisations continues at this pace, we can soon completely free our children from these issues and return their rights.

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