Nutrition and Education: The key to empowerment of girls

“We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back. We call upon our sisters around the world to be brave, to embrace the strength within themselves and realise their full potential.”

– Malala Yousafzai

Despite the fact that children worldwide still have to deal with hardships in the twenty-first century, girls in particular experience different forms of discrimination, exploitation and oppression because of their gender, they break all odds. 

According to numerous studies conducted by non-governmental organisations, national reports and figures from the UN, girls on the whole have lower literacy rates, receive less health care and are more frequently poor than males. These circumstances typically persist as girls develop into women.

The world’s girls are disproportionately affected by gender discrimination, which begins in childhood and continues to deprive them of their childhoods and limit their opportunities. A girl is much more likely to be denied her rights, prevented from attending school and subjected to different forms of coercions.

Every boy and girl should have an equal chance to live and prosper. The Akshaya Patra Foundation – one of India’s largest Mid-Day Meal NGOs, has long been regarded as the champion of gender neutrality and has been serving both male female children since 22 years.   

The Mid-Day Meal Programme (currently known as PM Poshan Abhiyaan), Digital Education Programme and AVSAR Scholarship Programme has been working for years to provide quality nutrition and education to children from underprivileged communities, in order to prepare them to become the leaders and changemakers of the future. 

We believe that food and education are key instruments that girls must use to reach their full potential by developing the skills and attitudes that put them on the road to social and economic empowerment.

More Power To Them!

Not much attention is being given to health due to insufficient doctors. The doctor to patient ratio is sympathetic as at the moment it stands at 1: 1000 a day. This results in a high mortality rate among children and the aged. I want to make a difference in the field of health care. Now that I have the tab, I can start preparing for entrance examinations,” she says. Pallavi is a beneficiary of the Digital Education Programme.

Premalatha thanks The Foundation for the AVSAR Scholarship that helped her succeed. She says she is independent today because of The Foundation’s support.​ Premalatha is a beneficiary of the AVSAR Scholarship Programme.

Over the years, Akshaya Patra has been providing nutrition and educational opportunity to girls from challenging socio-economic communities of India.

When you donate towards the cause of the organisation, you also qualify for a 50% tax exemption under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act as Akshaya Patra is registered under Section 12 A of the IT Act.

This National Girl Child Day, take a vow to stop gender discrimination.

Donate now and save tax!

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!

Donate Today. Earn Goodwill. Save Tax

He says: “Our society needs a doctor to treat people, an engineer to build buildings similarly we also need police to maintain harmony and peace in the locality. Different types of people live together in a society and this can also raise conflict among them. When I become a policeman, I want to maintain peace and stop any kind of crime in society.”

He also adds: “Police are the most trusted authorities of society. They help others without thinking about their life. They have to face different problems while helping us still, they never hesitate and this encourages me to be a police officer.”

One of the most satisfying experiences is giving. Not only can it make the recipient of the gift happy, surprised and awestruck, but it can also make the giver feel wonderful.

The same is true with charitable contributions. A monetary donation can have a significant influence on an NGO that depends on donations to carry out its goal, but there’s another big advantage to making charitable contributions: you can save tax. Donations made to recognised charitable organisations are eligible for tax deductions under Section 80G of the Income-tax Act of 1961.

Many people and corporations in India give to charities both for goodwill and to avail tax exemptions.

In India, how Do donations operate?

According to the Indian tax law, donations given in accordance with Sections 80G and 80GGA of the Income Tax Act, 1961, are tax deductible. The amount of charitable contributions may be allocated to humanitarian efforts and charitable organisations under Section 80G.

Depending on the organisation to which the donation is made, the deduction for donations made under this provision may be either 100% or 50%. The Income Tax Act of 1961 has a list of the organisations with which you can avail tax exemption. One must keep in mind, nevertheless, that any donations made to foreign trusts or political organisations are not eligible for a deduction under this clause.

Donations that Benefit You

Are you considering making charitable contributions in order to reduce your tax liability? It is preferable to have a few reminders. The following are some advice that will assist you in saving on taxes.

Plan your donation

It is always advisable to properly arrange your philanthropic contributions so that you can receive the most advantage. You can minimise your “out of pocket” expenses in this way. Will a charitable donation enable you to save more money? It is preferable to wait until the following fiscal year.

Reimbursement for transportation costs

In the event when an individual volunteers for a non-profit or charitable organisation, vehicle expenditures may be claimed. To do this, accurate records of the car expenses related to the organisation’s activities must be kept.

Every donor is given a receipt

Get a receipt for any donations you make as a taxpayer habit. The person’s records would be reinforced in this way. Additionally, there would be reliable proofs to support the gifts in the event that the records were audited. Cancelled cheques or other documents may be preserved for lesser donations. Maintaining records and receipts is essential for larger donations because they would otherwise not be accepted.

This New Year, you can ensure that every child has an access to at least one nutritious meal a day and an access to education, by donating to Akshaya Patra. In addition, you can also donate towards the health and well-being of homeless mothers. Donate and save tax under Section 80G of Income-tax Act!

In a Nutshell

Not all NGOs or charitable organisations are immediately eligible to offer their donors a deduction under Section 80G. Only organisations that have been given the go-ahead from the Commissioner of Income Tax (Exemptions) to accept donations and issue 80G certificates may do this.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a non-profit organisation that is registered under Section 12A (a) of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Which means that all online donations made above INR 500 are eligible for 50% tax exemption. All donors will receive a tax exemption certificate as a proof of their giving too.

So why wait till the end of the year to save on taxes while you can donate and save tax throughout the year? Support Akshaya Patra to gain double benefits with one act of giving – satisfaction of helping someone in need and gaining tax exemption too.

Celebrate this New Year with Akshaya Patra

New Year will be here soon!

We all are in a bind about how to celebrate it. What shall our goals be for the coming year? How can we make it better?

You may be aiming for a new job, upskilling yourself for a new role or striving to get good grades. You may also be seeking to build new or strengthen existing relationships.

But how about adding a new goal that satisfies your sense of purpose in life – to be a better human being by helping the underprivileged? 

And here’s the best part – you can do it right from where you are with a few clicks online!

If you like the idea, then join us. Let us have it as our collective resolution for 2023.

Join the Akshaya Patra family this New Year

We at The Akshaya Patra Foundation have been providing unlimited food for education of underprivileged children for 22 years. We ensure that our meals meet the palatal preferences of children as well as align with the nutrition guidelines from the Indian Government.

Our 65 kitchens across 14 states and 2 union territories cater to underprivileged communities and disaster victims during emergencies. 61 of these kitchens are automated centralised facilities that cook between 3,000 to 0.2 million meals per cooking cycle, utilising gravity flow mechanisms to minimise human touch for enhanced safety and quality.

Our journey

In 2000, our Foundation started serving meals to 1,500 children in five Government Schools in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Today, our passion for ZERO CLASSROOM HUNGER goal has allowed us to feed 2 million Government school children across India every day.We have also been recognised for our work nationally and internationally.

In 2015, we airlifted 1,00,000 meals to earthquake-hit Nepal in April. We also established an Earthquake Relief Centralised Kitchen in June 2015 to support the affected people of the region. It was an initiative undertaken in collaboration with Jamsetji Tata Trust and Sipradian Sahayata Sanstha. This kitchen served 1.4 million meals to the affected people for 88 days. 

We conducted similar relief programmes in the subsequent years during floods and cyclones in Chennai, Gujarat, Gorakhpur, North Karnataka, Kerala and Odisha. Through these activities, we benefitted more than 2 million beneficiaries across India.

Our work was appreciated in 2017 when we received a National Award for Child Welfare, Gujarat Flood Relief and Gorakhpur Flood Relief. In 2019, we won the Gandhi Peace Prize, BBC World Service Global Food Champion Award, Outlook Poshan Jury Award and Mahatma Award for Social Good. 

During our two-year-long COVID relief programme, we distributed over a million meals and kits to the affected people. In 2021, we were honoured with the Mahatma Award 2021 in the ‘COVID-19 Humanitarian Effort’ category. In 2022, we received the Prestigious Mahatma Award for Social Good and Impact ‘Zero Hunger’.

Other flagship programmes

As our work supporting the Indian Government’s Midday Meal Programme (now called the PM Poshan Abhiyaan) began to be recognised by people and the various Governments globally, we started more initiatives to help the marginalised. Below are some of them:

Anganwadi Feeding Programme

Anganwadi Feeding is an initiative by the Government of India to nourish pregnant women and nursing mothers for the healthy growth of their infants. The initial months after a child is born are crucial for the development of their vital organs. Hence, this programme was started to provide care to new mothers and their babies. We help in its execution across India and have served 1,61,53,556 meals so far.

Feed the Homeless Mothers Programme

Most widowed women in Indian society are abandoned by their families with necessities that last them only for a few days. To save these resources for the future, they skip food frequently. We started feeding the homeless mothers to give them a life of dignity and respect. Your support will give them nourishing meals twice a day so that they can concentrate on making a living rather than pondering over how to survive without food.

Breakfast Feeding Programme

A review of a study by experts showed that at least 199 of 5,158 children get only one meal a day. Midday meal (MDM) is the first meal for around 2.1 lakh children — not breakfast. Thus, we launched the Breakfast Feeding Programme starting with the Government Schools of Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Karnataka.

Digital Education Programme

The COVID-19 pandemic magnified the digital divide, where the underprivileged were forced to discontinue learning due to lack of digital devices. Our digital education initiative in Government schools aims to enhance the quality of education while generating excellent learning outcomes and building a pleasurable schooling experience. It focusses on inclusiveness while contributing to the Central Government’s vision for ‘Digital India’.

Millets in mid-day meals for Government School Children

To enhance the quality of nutrition in school meals and support sustainable food growing practices, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nutrihub, the Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR) and the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) to introduce millets in the mid-day meal menu for children. It was piloted in schools in Bengaluru and Hyderabad and will slowly be executed in other locations as well.

Donate Online this New Year

Choose any of our programmes to empower the underprivileged this New Year. Make your celebrations more memorable by donating towards their welfare and start the year on a positive note. 

With one contribution online, you will transform lives for the entire year of 2023! 
Donate for a year filled with goodness!

Be a Santa and Gift Health, Nutrition And Education, This Christmas

Christmas is celebrated all around the world as a time of pleasure, celebration, home-made holiday treats, and more. Christmas is, above all else, a season of giving.

Several corporations go above and beyond to share joy, especially among the underprivileged by being their Santa, in the true spirit of spreading joy that is the core of Christmas celebrations. For most of us, Santa Claus might appear as a jovial old man with snow-white beard wearing a red suit, pulling a sleigh, but for the majority of India’s underprivileged women and children, Santa might appear as Akshaya Patra’s blue food van that brings hot and delicious midday meals (MDM) to school every day, the food that’s served in Anganwadis or among homeless mothers.

Gifting Smiles and Dreams

“My favourite dish is bisibele bath but I enjoy every food item that Akshaya Patra serves. I want to be an IAS officer. I know it needs lots of preparation but I have a strong determination and it’s my dream and one day it will definitely come true. Even my parents feel proud when I say I want to become an IAS officer. My teachers and classmates believe that I am very determined about my career and this will definitely make me successful one day,” he says.

Caring for the Old and Homeless

About two years ago, Promila Burman travelled to Vrindavan and dedicated her life to Radha Krishna. She lives in an ashram near the temple, where she spends much of her time meditating and interacting with other widows and the homeless, like many other widows do.

This Christmas, celebrate and support Akshaya Patra by spreading joy and happiness among children like Vijay and elders like Promila, by ensuring that they have access to hot and nutritious meals every day.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an NGO in India that provides midday meals to school children. Currently, the NGO serves wholesome and nutritious meals to over 2 million children every school day across 65 locations in 14 States and 2 Union Territories of India.

In addition to this, the NGO provides meals to homeless mothers in Vrindavan, promotes the education of numerous children, and helps anganwadis in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The Foundation also runs a number of other capsule programmes that are beneficial to society.

When you make a donation to Akshaya Patra, you become a glimmer of hope for millions of underserved who have dreams for a brighter tomorrow and long for a better chance to life. Your contribution will ensure that they get an access to a balanced diet for their holistic development and growth.

Give them the gift of “unlimited food for education” this Christmas to make it special. Donate for children and mothers to help them enjoy this Christmas! Spread Christmas cheer and be their Santa Claus they most need! Their development and education will continue with just a small financial contribution.

Akshaya Patra: NGO that bringing food and happiness to underprivileged children

One in three undernourished children in the world lives in India.   

And millions of children in our country go to school hungry or do not attend school at all. 

Reason?

• Lack of enough resources at home that pushes them to work or get married
• Undernourishment that results in 
  • lack of energy 
  • inability to concentrate on scholastic and non-scholastic activities
  • reduced cognitive development

Malnourishment is not necessarily an outcome of a lack of food. Even those who eat three meals a day can be malnourished if they do not receive essential macro and micronutrients. Thus, children need well-researched programmes like the Mid-Day Meal Scheme or MDM (now known as the PM Poshan Abhiyaan).

Under the PM Poshan Abhiyaan, every school meal must contain essential nutrients in adequate quantities mandated by the Ministry of Education and the Government of India.

Malnourishment and Akshaya Patra

Our country is a fast-growing economy that relies on innovation and skilled human resource for development. But if our talented children do not receive food and education, they will not grow into competent individuals, thus slowing down the pace of growth of our country.  

So, for a bright future with better opportunities for all our upcoming generations, we must strike malnourishment now!

And so, we did!

We, The Akshaya Patra Foundation are an NGO feeding school meals under the Mid-Day Meal Scheme or MDM (now known as the PM Poshan Abhiyaan) for 22 years. Nourishment for the education of underprivileged children has always been our prime focus. 

We have come from feeding 1,500 children in five Government schools in Karnataka to 20,10,516 (2 million) children daily across 14 states and 2 union territories, with strong support from various Governments, consistent efforts and donations from our compassionate donors. We aim that no child in India should be deprived of education because of hunger and our mission is to nourish 3 million children daily by 2025.

Over the years, our NGO’s presence across the country has grown strong. Our mid-day meals (MDM) in schools are being loved at all our 65 locations as they are hygienic, locally palatable and adhere to the nutrition guidelines stated by the Ministry of Education. 

In 2022, we also received the prestigious Mahatma Award for Social Good and Impact “Zero Hunger” and it would not have been possible without our donor family.

This year, our NGO also started serving breakfast along with mid-day meals and will be introducing millets to the menu in all our beneficiary schools very soon.

Now, it is your chance to give back to India by feeding its precious children. Here’s how your donations to our NGO make an impact.

Kavya enjoys dancing, singing and writing in her free time and English is her favourite subject. She also likes Science and General Knowledge. Her favourite mid-day meal (MDM) dishes are dal, rice and sukhadi.

He is a Class 12 student in the Science stream and his favourite subject is Chemistry. “Chemistry is my favourite subject because I get to use magic to create things every day. One day, I will make something that can help change the world, and that’s why I want to become an engineer,” he says. 

Vijayakumar likes to watch cricket in his free time. He also learns typing, which he believes will help him in the long run and enhance his focus. He expresses gratitude for the mid-day meals (MDM) served at school and mentions pulav as his favourite dish.

Support Akshaya Patra, the NGO for children

These young talents await your support to grow into skilled and responsible citizens of India and leaders of tomorrow. Join our donor family and experience the unending bliss of contributing to our country’s future.

Donate online to support Akshaya Patra today!

Empowering Children With Food And Education

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.

To support the nutrition and education of children in need, donate online!

Transforming India through Digital Education

Every year on November 11, National Education Day is observed to honour Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, India’s first Minister of Education. He was a brilliant leader and thinker who made enormous contributions in the field of education.

We honour his achievements on this day and reaffirm our dedication to offering high-quality education to every child apart from feeding them. We also honour the numerous accomplishments of our students and teachers as well as the advancements made in India’s educational system. The significance of education as a human right and a driver of social change is also recognised on this day.

Apart from feeding children through the PM Poshan Abhiyaan (previously known as the Mid-Day Meal Scheme), Akshaya Patra has been a pioneer in promoting education among the underprivileged sections of the community. From creating opportunities for children to pursue quality education, the Foundation has continuously strived to eliminate classroom hunger and to provide the latest educational tools and techniques to children who have restricted access to opportunities.

Keeping up with the theme of National Education Day and in the quest to provide holistic development to children and support them to pursue their dreams, Akshaya Patra started its Digital Education Programme under the organisation’s Beyond The Meals initiative.

The initiative will provide students with access to digital devices and world-class digital learning platform with professionally curated content and equip teachers with tech-enabled teaching tools, to make teaching an interesting experience. It will also help aspiring medical and engineering students in their preparation for competitive exams such as NEET and JEE.

Let’s have a look at how the Digital Education Programme has impacted the lives of a few beneficiaries of The Akshaya Patra Foundation.

To contribute towards a child’s happier and brighter tomorrow, donate online!

Celebrating 22 years of feeding the hungry

It’s a huge accomplishment that 22 years have passed since The Akshaya Patra Foundation was established in March 2001. Reflection is especially beneficial around significant anniversaries like our 22nd. Here is a look at our accomplishments till date and our future goals.

In 2001, following the Supreme Court’s mandate to provide free midday meals to all Government school children, Akshaya Patra, an NGO working towards the education and nutrition of children, extended its operations from serving hot meals to 1,500 children to 2 million children under the Midday Meal Scheme (now known as PM Poshan Abhiyan), with the help of India’s Central and State Governments.

The NGO now provides hot and nutritious school lunch in over 20,000 Government and Government-aided schools across the country to combat classroom hunger. Akshaya Patra runs on a Public-Private Partnership model that includes assistance from Local, State and Federal Governments as well as charitable donations.

A Pandemic Crusader

With the onset of the pandemic and the announcement of the nationwide loockdown to curb the spread of the virus, the nutritional needs of most of the midday meal (MDM) beneficiaries were affected to a great extent. But The Foundation quickly switched from MDM to providing food and other forms of relief to people across the country. Daily wage employees, labourers at building sites, workers in industrial areas, migratory labourers and rough sleepers received meals and food relief packs with basic goods.

An Employee Speaks

Stories of Hope and Success

A doctor of tomorrow

Fulfilling aspirations, achieving dreams

Footnote: We thank all our donors and well-wishers for their consistent support over the last 22 years, towards our cause.

Support Akshaya Patra. Feed the hungry!

Reducing Child Malnutrition with healthy meals

Malnourishment is a silent killer that does not spare even the lives of little children. It is one of the major causes of death of children under the age of five.

Malnutrition is the cause of death of close to half the children in Asia and Africa below five years.

Insufficient nutrition increases susceptibility to various infections and leads to delayed recovery. Three important factors that estimate malnourishment are stunting (low height with respect to age), wasting (low weight for height) and underweight (low weight for age).

Malnourishment in childhood reduces the quality of adulthood

The first 1000 days of a child’s life decide if the child is more likely to be healthy or suffer from malnutrition. This means to say that, poor nutrition of a mother during her pregnancy could lead to a stunted childhood. These stunted children tend to be shorter and weaker. They often have impaired mental development and also tend to perform low in school making them more likely to take up low-payment jobs. Hence, they are unable to provide for their children.

Thus it is imperative to work towards nourishing the present generation of children so that they can contribute directly to the health of the next one.

According to the World Bank, close to 1/3^rd of stunted children (below 5 years), live in India.

PM POSHAN Abhiyaan (earlier known as the MidDay Meal Scheme) is one intervention that could reduce these numbers drastically.

Let us take the example of person ‘X’ from a low-income family. He is a daily-wage worker whose salary or savings is not enough to take care of his wife and children. To become a helping hand to the family’s financial situation, he sends his child to work so that he can get some more money for the family’s food. He does not give a choice to his child to choose.

Now, let’s think of another situation where ‘Y’ is a daily-wage worker who is struggling to make ends meet to feed his family of three (along with his wife and child). They are aware of the Government’s MDM scheme and send their child to a nearby Government school with the thought that at least the child will be able to enjoy one proper, wholesome meal once a day. By doing so, they are playing a major role in the child’s education too. These school meals become a reason for the child to attend school without missing even a single day.

This is the power of school meals.

Midday meals (MDM) served as a part of this programme not only give an incentive for parents to send their children to school but also become a reason for children to get educated for the long term.

Providing nutrition; food for children

Mid-day meals become a source of nutrition in children. They help in their physical and cognitive development. How?

Here’s how:

• School meals take care of all the essential nutritional requirements of a child. It helps the child develop in a healthy manner. These meals provided as a part of the PM POSHAN Abhiyaan, take care of carbohydrates, essential fats, proteins, fortified salt, etc.
• Meals nourish children inside-out, providing them with the right energy to expend it by participating in various sports and co-curricular activities. A well-nourished child can play well when compared to a malnourished child.
• It reduces risk the of diseases providing good immunity. Meals prevent diseases like anaemia, partial blindness and give them the strength to fight common diseases like cold, flu, etc.
• Free school meals give them access to education. When children start coming to school on a regular basis, they also get tuned to receiving education on a daily basis.

NGOs play a major role in the implementation the of provision of mid-day meals. The Akshaya Patra Foundation is one such organisation that helps children from low-income sections gain the above benefits. It has been serving school meals since 2000 and has grown from feeding 1,500 children to close to 2 million children every day.

Donate online to such NGOs that play an important role to nourish children. You never know how your help could transform the lives of either children or their families or a community on the whole. Extend your support in whichever way possible. Because no support is small help, it has the potential to change lives.