Every expanding economy must consider nutrition.
According to UNICEF, acute undernutrition in India causes wasting in 20% of children under the age of five. India is home to more than one third of the world’s wasted children. 43 percent of Indian children under the age of five are underweight, and 48 percent, or 61 million children, are stunted as a result of persistent malnutrition.
In our nation, nutrition and education have traditionally gone hand in hand. Lack of education frequently results in ignorance of the value of nutrition and lack of understanding of balanced meals. Children who live below the poverty line, where eating full meals is a luxury, frequently choose not to pursue their education in order to obtain employment that will allow them to buy food. The Akshaya Patra Foundation runs the Mid-Day Meal Scheme or MDM under the Government’s PM Poshan Abhiyaan, which allows students to get free and nutritious lunch at school, in an effort to attract more children to enrol in school and support them to continue their education.
Giving Wings To Dreams Of Children
Majority of children, who attend the school that Geetha (name changed) is the head teacher of in the Unkal district of Karnataka, only attend for the meals served as a part of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme. She adds that the meals served in school also acts as one of the most significant incentives for parents to enrol their wards to schools thus helping them to continue their education and follow their dreams and aspirations. This also helps parents ensure that their child gets an access to at least one wholesome meal every day.
Akshaya Patra is cognizant of the immediate and enduring effects of midday meals. As a result, this NGO feeds and nourishes over 2 million Government school children across the country every day, thus encouraging them to dream of a better and brighter tomorrow.
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The Akshaya Patra Foundation 