Saving Lives and Spreading Smiles

Financial insufficiency and lack of opportunities push one towards economic, political and social deprivation. Consequently, they receive inadequate nutrition, run a higher risk of contracting diseases and lack access to basic healthcare facilities. 

If we don’t intervene, they may be stuck in this cycle for years together. 

So, what can save them? What are the essentials they need to survive? And how can we support them?

Food, Education, Shelter and Security

Food, education, shelter and security are the necessities for any individual to survive. If one can access these daily, it is enough to improve their lifestyle. But millions struggle without them and long for our support.

However, we may be caught up in our busy schedules, making it difficult to support the marginalised even though we have the heart to donate.

But here’s the good news!
We now have online platforms and NGOs that can help you save lives and spread smiles among the underprivileged people from where you are. 

How can you save lives through online platforms?

• Raise your voice and create awareness on social media platforms. It will connect supporters and NGOs who can help the affected people through new programmes. 

• Start fundraising campaigns with third-party websites and spread the word among your social network to contribute. Attach a description, if possible, to help them understand your motive behind the initiative.

• You can purchase products online from brands that donate a portion of their earnings to charity.

• The most convenient and commonly chosen method is to visit the websites of recognised NGOs and contribute to one of their programmes.

NGOs versus direct donations

When you donate to underprivileged individuals directly, you are helping them only for a day or two. But when you support NGOs, you let the experts invest your money to provide marginalised people with opportunities for long-term progress. Through the well-researched programmes, you not only help them survive but also enable them to learn, persevere and grow. Here’s how you can proceed.

• Visit NGO websites and choose a cause close to your heart.
• You can click on any programme and go through its description and impact.
• Once you select one, make your donation with a few clicks.
• Alternatively, you can also start fundraising campaigns with most of these NGOs.

One such recognised NGO in India is The Akshaya Patra Foundation. 

We started in 2000 by feeding 1,500 children in five Government schools of Bengaluru, Karnataka. Today, we serve unlimited and locally-palatable meals for the education of 20,10,516 (2 million) underprivileged children daily in 22,367 schools across 14 states and 2 union territories under the PM Poshan Abhiyaan (formerly known as the Mid-Day Meal Programme or MDM). 

Though we started with dedicated programmes for the welfare of children, we have also been able to help vulnerable families during the COVID-19 pandemic, disaster victims, nursing mothers, pregnant women and homeless mothers because of our donors across the world.

Benefits of feeding underprivileged children

• When you feed underprivileged children, you not only guarantee their bright futures with unlimited food and education but also assure economic stability for their families. Your contribution will allow all their succeeding generations to continue moving forward toward success and prosperity. 

• Your contribution towards the PM Poshan Abhiyaan (the new version of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme or MDM) will not only serve lunch to Government and Government-aided school children but also teach them to grow food through nutrition gardens. The new scheme provides supplementary nutrition for anaemic children where specialists frequently check the beneficiaries’ nutritional levels to prevent deficiencies and illnesses. Moreover, it also empowers women’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) by sourcing locally grown nutrition-rich food items. Hence, you will be supporting a revolutionary step towards a self-sufficient India.

• Along with the joy of making an impact, you will receive monetary benefits. By supporting our NGO in India, you will avail a 50% tax exemption under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act as we are registered u/s 12A of the IT Act.

Donate to an NGO

Obstacles in your way of helping people are a thing of the past. Online donations have made it a matter of a few minutes.

So, let’s not wait to make India a happy country. Let’s contribute to make basic resources such as food, education and security easily available to everyone. Donate for a cause of your choice today!

Education takes children a step closer to empowerment

Education is empowering.

It is a force that creates knowledge, builds personalities and confidence while also making way for new opportunities.

Getting education is also a doorway to a better life.

For some of us, going to school every day is a part of normal life, however, for children coming from disadvantaged backgrounds, education is a rare and precious gift.

All children deserve the precious gift of education and so, when you make a charity in India to an NGO, you change lives.

By empowering children, it is easy to engage them in further learning, encourage them to imagine, observe, form opinions and mould their behaviour accordingly.

Children are like an empty glass

Whatever you pour in it is what they are made up of. Hence, it is of utmost importance that we nourish them and build a lot of positivity around them to grow into empowered beings. Childhood is the stage of life that moulds their behaviour and character.

Empowered children are confident children.

Children develop a grasping power at a very young age. Getting them educated helps them in their psychosocial development. Gaining education helps them in the long term.

Like Nelson Mandela said, “Our children are our greatest treasure. They are our future.”

Involve them in discussions

This is a very effective way of making children feel that they are important and are of value too. Whether they contribute to these discussions is secondary. For example – Sujita is a midday meal programme (MDM) beneficiary from Daman’s CPS Primary School in Silvassa. By speaking constantly with her Grandparents, she holds strong opinions herself. Thanks to the food and education that she receives at school.

Allow children to be their decision-makers

Children should be encouraged to take decisions at a very young age. However, the risks and consequences should be discussed with them as well. Continuing Sujita’s story, it was up to her to meet her parents. However, she carefully weighed her choices and decided that she never wanted to meet them anymore because they had abandoned her when she was a small child. This decision of hers made her confident that she can take care of herself.

Support them in every stage of life

When they make a decision that is in their favour, giving compliments or praises can make a huge difference in their behaviour and personality. Using positive words uplifts their spirits and brings good feelings about themselves. Adding further to Sujita’s story. Her grandparents stood by her when she decided that she did not want to meet her parents. They supported her decision so much that today, she does not feel the need to cry over their memories anymore.

Schools give children the education that could empower them. But not all of them are privileged to afford a decent education for their child.

Hence, the Government of India has initiated various programmes, schemes and scholarships that can support them.

To help children from all walks of life benefit from these schemes, many NGOs have joined hands with the Government. One such scheme is the Midday Meal Programme (MDM Scheme) which is now called the PM-POSHAN.

One such NGO is The Akshaya Patra Foundation allows you the opportunity to help children with your online donations. Sujita is one of the million beneficiaries of the Foundation who has benefitted from generous contributors who donated towards providing unlimited meals for education.

Beginning from a small number of feeding meals to 1,500 children in Karnataka, today, Akshaya Patra serves locally palatable and nutritious meals to 1.8 million children coming from challenging backgrounds. Support many such children with your online donation towards this NGO in India.

How Akshaya Patra started feeding children in India

“We don’t want to stop. We want to feed as many children as possible.”

Madhu Pandit Dasa, Chairman – The Akshaya Patra Foundation

 In a population of 1.38 billion people, 39% of the total population comprises of children below the age of 18 years; this means there are around 472 million children in India.

Out of every 100 children, only around 32 children complete their school education (District Information System for Education),

out of which,

19.8 million children below the age of 6, do not get the required nutrition (ICDS 2015).

Due to multiple challenges that come from being a child belonging to lower-income sections of the society, children are either sent off to seek work during school hours or would be forced to work with parents to fend for their families. Amongst a few handful of children who were sent to school, they performed poorly in schools due to a short attention span or would immediately drop out in the lure of earning money.

To change this scenario, the Central Government of India started the Mid-Day Meal Scheme to address the issue of hunger and education. Yet, 50% of India’s children remained undernourished. In the year 2001, mid-day meals were mandated in all Government and Government-aided schools of all the states. With the help of non-profit organisations in India, many children were fed meals in schools. By the end of 2004, 50 million children received school lunches, either provided by the Government or NGO’s working in partnership with the Government. One such NGO in India is The Akshaya Patra Foundation. 

What is the story of Akshaya Patra?

To address the dual challenges of education and hunger in India, The Akshaya Patra Foundation was started in the year 2000 with a vision that ‘No child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger.’ It began by serving hot and nutritious school meals to 1,500 children studying in five different schools of Bengaluru, Karnataka. By March 2007, the Foundation was serving wholesome meals in 2,000 schools. As of today, mid-day meals are served to 18,00,907 children studying in 19,039 schools of India. It prepares and serves school meals from centralised kitchens situated in 50 locations and decentralised kitchens situated in two locations, spread across 12 States and 2 Union Territories of India.

Impact of mid-day meals on children

Many studies conducted around the impact of mid-day meals have shown an:

• Increase in school enrolment rate, both for boys and girls
• Increase in the attendance rates
• Decrease in school drop-out rates
• Improvement in classroom performance
• Improvement in attention span
• Improvement in nutritional value & energy

What the students have to say:

 To read more such stories of beneficiaries of The Akshaya Patra Foundation, click here.

Bring about healthy changes in the lives of children with your donation. When you support Akshaya Patra to provide unlimited food for education to children belonging to challenging backgrounds, you are giving back to society to bring about the above-mentioned changes.

If you have any such stories of children whose lives have changed with mid-day meals, do let us know in the comments section below.

Documentary of Shankar – An Aspiring Police Officer

I am Shankar Hazarika – a film by Akshaya Patra features a 10-yr-old beneficiary from Silguri, Assam – a village mostly of fishermen. Shankar is the youngest in the family and his ambition is to become a police offer. His father is fisherman who depends on the mighty Brahmaputra River.

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!

Mid-Day Meals in School Motivate Children to Aspire High

There are several benefits of the mid-day meal scheme being run by The Akshaya Patra Foundation in schools. Many of these benefits relate to the health of the children and their physical and mental growth. However, a bonus about this service is that children learn to have aspirations about their career.

These children, who are beneficiaries of mid-day meal in states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka or Madhya Pradesh, become conscious of their career choices. For instance, Sanjana Borashetti, a student of Class VIII in a Government school in Huballi, scores highest in her class. She is motivated to come to school because she never wants to miss the benefits of the mid-day meal scheme being run in her school.

Since often her house is deprived of electricity, she wishes to work in the direction of public amenities. She wants to become a district collector when she grows up.

When Sanjana experienced the basic benefit of the mid-day meal scheme, she understood the importance of fulfilling basic necessities for others.

Be it in Tamil Nadu or Madhya Pradesh, the mid-day meal is being served keeping the local cuisine in mind. Thus, children enjoy food and never miss school. Regular attendance keeps them informed about the world and inspires them to compete with their peers.

Many of these children get sponsorships from various donors who give generously for Akshaya Patra. The donors get the benefit of tax exemption. But nothing makes the donors happier than reading success stories of children who dream for their future.

If you are someone who wish to help children receive the benefits of mid-day meal scheme, do lend us a helping hand. Your donations are eligible for tax exemptions. As Akshaya Patra observes the Hunger Action Month and focuses its attention towards states like Tamil Nadu, you can choose to help today.

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.”

Read more stories of Akshaya Patra Beneficiaries at: Stories of Children

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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!

Gift a Happy New Year to India’s children – Akshaya Patra’s Message

The curtains are closing on 2016 and the stage is set for 2017. Yes folks, New Year 2017 is here! It is a time to gather the lessons of the past year, celebrate its joys and let go of its pains. The New Year brings in new hopes, dreams and often a list of resolutions too! The end of a year and the beginning of the new one is also a period of reflection on the blessings received in the previous year.

One wonderful way of ushering in the New Year is to bring happiness to the most innocent of souls – kids. Donating to children’s charities is a great way of doing this! The Akshaya Patra Foundation works tirelessly for the cause of ‘unlimited food for education’. Founded in the year 2000 with the principle that no child should be deprived of education due to hunger, the organisation operates the world’s largest NGO-run Mid-day Meal Programme in India. Currently feeding over 1.6 million in the country through its state-of-the-art kitchens, the Foundation, registered under section 35AC of the Income Tax Act, 1961, strives tirelessly to eliminate classroom hunger. Why not join this fight against hunger and malnutrition and gift India’s children a healthy, wholesome school lunch a day by donating to the Foundation? That would be a noble and auspicious start to the New Year!

Akshaya Patra’s immediate mission is to feed 5 million children by 2020. Every successive year brings an added hope to the Foundation – that of benefitting a greater number of people. Its programmes are the fuel that powers the dreams of young children across India. These kaleidoscopic dreams include becoming doctors, engineers, architects, pilots, soldiers. It is up to the people of the world to come together to ensure that they are fulfilled and the children’s tomorrows are lit with education and nutrition. This is possible through donations of generous patrons who feel strongly about the futures of India’s children. Every contribution above Rs 500 made to the Foundation is eligible for 100% tax exemption in India, under section 80GGA.

Make 2017 a great one for India’s school kids!

How Effective are Food for Education Programmes

If you’re reading this, you should call yourself fortunate. If going back home reminds you of delicious home-cooked food, you should call yourself fortunate. You’re fortunate because you’ve had the opportunity to learn and you’ve always got a tiffin box to carry in your bag or some money in the pocket for buying lunch.

Not many know that India is a home to 33% of world’s undernourished children. How can we not think of helping them? When you’ve more than you need, you should build a bigger table, not a higher fence. Seeing the present context, we need more supporters and food for education programs to get down to showing deep concern, spreading awareness, donating funds and providing healthy meals as an incentive to boost enrolment.

Akshaya Patra recently published its NGO annual report 2015-16 which gives insights into how the organisation reaches out to millions of children. Here’s how Akshaya Patra set forth in the path of reaching out to millions of children and are changing their lives.

A growth that’s no less than massive

Akshaya Patra has grown slowly and steadily. From 1,500 children a day to over 1.6 million children, the growth has been rising. It demonstrates that the role of NGO has always been aboard and determinant toward the goal of providing unlimited food for education. They’ve gone the extra mile, not only in well-managed technology, logistics, quality, and finance but also in strategies for sustainable working. The Foundation has gained trust of the philanthropic donors and beneficiaries as well.

Food for Education motivates children to pursue their dreams

Children from the marginalised sections of society often wait to pursue their dreams. Food for Education programmes help them in doing this. The blue buses at Akshaya Patra not only carry freshly cooked nutritious meals to 1.6 million children across India but also the smile and hope to get good food. Ambitious beneficiaries like Dashrath Chauhan, Anjali Batti, Saraswathi, and Chetan are some of our much prized stories of hope.

Involvement of public

It is essential for a public-private relationship based organisation to have provisions for public’s involvement. Without the generous help from well-wishers, it is not possible for an NGO to function at all. These organisations act as a medium for the society to show compassion towards the needy. Akshaya Patra provides several opportunities such as fundraising, campaigning, volunteering, partnering and donating online to get involved in this endeavor of eradicating undernourishment and ensuring access to education for all. For accomplishing its mission of feeding 5 million children by 2020, Akshaya Patra gives a shout-out to everyone who is willing to help those in dire need.

Akshaya Patra, an NGO based in Bengaluru, runs Mid-Day Meal Programme in 11 states of India.

To read in Hindi, visit: about NGO in Hindi.

A Story of a Girl to Become a Lawyer

They say lawyers around the world are sentinels of justice and it is important that every country gets sincere lawyers to defend citizens’ cause. An Akshaya Patra’s beneficiary’s dream belongs here and the organisation takes pride in sharing children’s success stories.

Meet the 12-year-old Saraswathi who dreams of becoming a lawyer to protect the rights of citizens. She studies in Std VI at Kannavi Honnapura Higher Primary School, Hubballi in Karnataka. Saraswathi says she would like to uphold the most vital aspect of being a legal professional –honesty. “I want to be a good lawyer. I will not accept bribes. I will stand for justice. I will remain true to my profession,” she says.

(Full Story: https://www.akshayapatra.org/stories-of-children/aspiring-lawyer-saraswathi)

Like most children, uniforms hold an appeal for Saraswathi too. She says “The lawyer’s robe signifies their power. Wearing a lawyer’s uniform will fill me with greater pride for my profession.” The Akshaya Patra Foundation serves mid-day meals in her school and many students including Saraswathi are humbled by the organisation’s service. With smile she says, “I like the food served, since it is warm and fresh. I especially like the Pulao. The lunch makes me happy and is one of the reasons I like coming to school.”

Akshaya Patra, an NGO in Hubballi and other parts of the country, wishes all the best for Saraswathi’s future endeavours. Join Akshaya Patra in bringing children closer to happiness through mid-day meals.