Sponsor A Child For One Year Through Akshaya Patra

Rs. 1,100 – what can it get you – a shirt, dinner for two, a pair of shoes, grocery for a week, a movie ticket at a multiplex… or have we forgotten the value of a 1000-rupee note as demonetization marked its exit? Well, this humble amount of money has much more to it than meets the eye!

Indu has been abandoned by her father after the demise of her mother. She is taken care of by her grandmother who does small tailoring jobs to make the ends meet. While the grandmother was juggling the possibilities of providing education to Indu, her neighbour suggested a nearby school which provided free school meals too. Indu’s grandmother thought no further and got little Indu enrolled in the school immediately. Today, Indu is a Standard VI student. She dearly values her grandmother’s care and understands the struggles she has been through in taking care of Indu. Indu says, “I aim to become a doctor to ‘cure my grandmother’. I see her coughing all day round, increasing at night. When I rub her back to comfort, she says, ‘until My Little Doctor is with me, nothing can harm me.’ The high cost of health care keeps my grandmother away from a check-up. By becoming a doctor, I want to cure my grandmother and provide free treatment to other people as well.” 

This is just one story among 17,65,597 children – the beneficiaries of The Akshaya Patra Foundation, a mid-day meal NGO that provides free school meals, on each school day.

What’s the role of Rs. 1,100?

Rs. 1,100 = Health + Education + Confidence + Power to realise aspirations.

Yes, when you sponsor a child through Akshaya Patra by donating Rs. 1,100, you essentially provide a child with nutritious and sumptuous school meals for an entire year. And these meals ensure their good health and regular schooling. So, when you do the math, it indicates that your contribution of Rs. 1,100 is preparing a child to be an empowered and resourceful citizen in the near future. Now, imagine if you keep adding this humble denomination, how many assets you would be creating for the nation. In essence, there lies the answer to the significant role of Rs. 1,100!

How to support Akshaya Patra?

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is one of the pioneer NGOs in the mid-day meal sector. It has a remarkable history of 18+ years of serving children with wholesome school meals. The Foundation that started off with feeding just 1,500 children in five schools, today feeds 17,65,597 children in 15,668 schools situated across 45 locations in 12 states of India. Akshaya Patra humbly dedicates this progress to the unceasing support of the Central Government and various State Governments along with thousands of philanthropic supporters who generously donate for children.

You can support this NGO through online donation and also by creating campaigns to conduct online fundraising. So, take a step to unleash the power of Rs. 1,100 because it can ensure no child in India is be deprived of education because of hunger – a vision that steers all the efforts of Akshaya Patra.

 

 

Fundraising Opportunities at Akshaya Patra

Fundraising or fundraising campaign is an initiative to gather voluntary contributions for a charity by involving your family, friends, and associates. It is a widely encouraged practice by NGOs because it gives a platform to the community at large to get involved with their respective causes. Apart from financial aid, fundraising also creates awareness about an NGO and its sphere of work. This opens up avenue for philanthropists to support the cause at an individual level too.

In line with this, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, a mid-day meal NGO in India has included fundraising campaigns as part of their activities too. The Foundation has been implementing the school mid-day meal programme since 2000 and is headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Over the years, Akshaya Patra has expanded its reach to 36 locations in 12 states and currently provides freshly cooked nutritious meals to more than 1.7 million children studying in 14, 173 schools. The NGO has witnessed the tangible impact of these meals on the growth, development, and schooling of children; hence wants to increase its reach to more locations with the sole intention to benefit more children with healthy meals while also supporting their education.

In view of this, Akshaya Patra requires ample funding so that alongside expanding to newer locations it can sustainably feed the existing beneficiaries too. Aside from contributing direct donation you can create your own online fundraising campaign and garner support from your network of associates. By raising funds for Akshaya Patra, you will help to create awareness about the NGO, its cause, and the significance of mid-day meal among children. To know how to create a fundraising campaign, visit fundraising for NGO.

The amount you raise through your campaign will have a dual benefit. First, it will ensure daily school meals of children and second, it will make donors for your campaign eligible for receiving tax exemption. Yes, Akshaya Patra will optimally utilise all the funds raised through your campaign to provide wholesome meals to its beneficiaries. The NGO will also record contributions made by each donor and based on tax exemption in India guidelines will make sure that all eligible donors receive exemption from tax for their respective donated amount.

Fundraising campaigns are an effective way to involve the community for a noble cause. It introduces our fellow mates to the world of charity while helping charities with the much-needed support. So, go ahead, take the lead, create changemakers and support children by taking the initiative of fundraising for Akshaya Patra.

Fundraise for Akshaya Patra for your special occasion

Doesn’t it feel good to celebrate your special days with much fun and fervour? Sure, it does. Now, how about including a few more guests in your celebration? These guests are young, ambitious, and for whom a plate full of sumptuous meal makes a day special! To know what struck this idea in me, just read on.

Recently, I came across The Akshaya Patra Foundation, an NGO meeting the mid-day meal requirement of children across India. While I was going through their sphere of work, reach, and impact, I came across an interesting way to get involved with the organisation and thus came upon the above-mentioned idea of making our special celebrations more meaningful. The NGO provides a platform to make a donation in honour of someone, in memory of someone, and also for all your special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, and festivals. Just by contributing Rs. 2,850 from our celebration fund, we can feed three children for an entire year. Sounds reasonable, doesn’t it?

Akshaya Patra has been in the service of children for the past 17 years. Currently, the NGO feeds 1.6 million children in 13,839 schools across 12 states in India. Aside from the visible improvement in the nutritional levels of children, the mid-day meals have also resulted in better concentration among children, increase in regular attendance, and a progressive decline in school dropout rate. The NGO aims at feeding 5 million by 2020. Indeed a herculean task, but it is definitely possible if we all pull in to support this cause. The online fundraising platform of Akshaya Patra is a convenient and reliable way to contribute towards the cause. Further, this platform also gives you the opportunity to create your own online fundraising campaign.

The ambitious stories of Akshaya Patra’s beneficiaries testify the committed and sincere effort of the organisation. This charity for children is not only feeding the hungry stomachs but also feeding the hidden hopes and dreams of millions of children. So, when we make them a part of our special occasions, not only will we spread hope, but also nurture a generation of well-fed, well-read, and self-reliant citizens. Let us together contribute towards a meal-full present and a resourceful tomorrow!

How you can make a difference this new year

It’s been over a week since we entered 2018. And, most of us would have strictly tried to stick to our New Year resolutions. Most popular among them, of course, are those relating to diet and weight loss.

Most of us would have probably started slacking off on the resolutions to exercise every day or go for a walk every day. While looking for a resolution, why not look for something that you believe you can stick with, instead of doing something that you know is easy to not stick to.

It’s still not too late to start off on a resolution. Why not resolve to donate to charity this year. You could do so by contributing for the causes supported by The Akshaya Patra Foundation. By opting for regular payments, you will be happy that you are able to stick to the resolution and, the best of all, contribute to a worthy cause.

Impact from Reach

Akshaya Patra’s Mid-Day Meal today reaches over 1.6 million children across the said 12 states in the country. The children are supplied from 34 kitchens from 12 states.

A mere Rs 950 can feed a school-going child for a whole year. Imagine, the impact such a small amount can have.

The change that it can bring out in the life of a child by guaranteeing he/she can stay at school and not worry about lunch ensures that the child can stay focused on the task at hand, that of learning.  This is perhaps the biggest of the advantages of mid-day meal scheme.

The funds needed to support the growing movement, no less, can in fact be boosted. This can ensure that the children continue to enjoy wholesome meals every day. The Foundation has been tech-savvy. It has taken to online fundraising to stay with the times so that you can be part of the movement.

Make your weekends productive by volunteering with NGOs

What’s your first instinct about spending the weekend? It could be as mundane as doing the laundry or as fun as going for a picnic. But wait, even doing something for the children at a non-profit organisation can be fun, isn’t it?

So here’s a little inspiration. Meet a Std VI student from Puri, Badal Behera, who loves Yoga. He is a beneficiary of the Mid-day Meal Programme in Odisha. Now he loves all sport in general but is particularly passionate about Yoga. He says: Yoga improves memory power and helps in maintaining blood pressure.

There are many children like Badal who have benefitted by the Mid-day Meal Programme run by non-profit organisation for children named Akshaya Patra. You can choose to be an active contributor in one of these hope stories.

The non-profit organisation serves mid-day meals in not only Odisha but also in other states and invites volunteers, donors and contributors for the same. Some sponsor a child, others donate kitchen equipment, still others simply engage in volunteer activities with the organisation.

Got a free weekend? You can simply choose to be an online contributor by for the Akshaya Patra. You may promote the non-profit organisation for the children on your social media accounts, invite friends to follow the organisation’s Facebook page or simply download the screensavers, wallpapers, posters or banners and build awareness.

You may use your weekend to write blogs on topics like sponsoring a child or about mid-day meals across various states including Odisha. That’s not all, you may engage in online fundraising activities where the funds would be used for serving mid-day meals to children.Weekends are personal and precious to you. But when you involve others, such as children, in this personal space, for a great cause, they become productive too. Volunteer today.

Let’s build a nourished India with online fundraising

As we celebrate World Population Day on July 11, how about thinking something different from just sharing insightful articles on social media pages. Can we channelise our resources, through online fundraising, for a nourished India. As of July 2017, India stands at 1.34 billion people. More than 50 per cent of this population is below the age of 25, including children. This demographic is our future but are they nourished and healthy enough?

A non-profit organisation Akshaya Patra is striving to secure the future of India’s children by fighting hunger and sourcing resources through donations and non-profit fundraising ideas. The organisation serves wholesome lunch to school children in several states in India ensuring that no child in India misses school due to hunger.

In your online fundraising campaign, you can inform the community about how World Population Day was started by the governing council of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) that works towards the reproductive health of the community especially women and the youth. It’s only apt that every one of us in India contribute towards making it a more nourished and a healthier country. Millions of children in India are either under nourished or hungry and we cannot have a healthy nation without feeding wholesome meal to children. We can donate to charities such as Akshaya Patra, or simply engage in online fundraising towards the cause of food and education.

Through online fundraising campaigns, we can raise awareness about how healthy children are better focuses towards their dreams and goals. When their basic need of nourishment is met, they are able to pursue professions such as medical, engineering, education, information technology or any other field of their choice and contribute positively towards nation’s development. Non-profit fundraising ideas don’t need a special talent, but only a strong will towards the cause.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation has been engaged in the cause of nourishment of children since the year 2000. As population grows, the organisation strives to reach all of them with their School-lunch Programme. Help the foundation by donating to charity today.

How can parents inculcate social responsibility among children?

James A. Baldwin once said, “Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.” One of the best ways that parents can teach their children to contribute to the development of the community is by setting examples of social service. Here’s how they can do it:

Volunteer for education

Take them along on weekends to teach children in slums who have no or little access to school and education. You can also teach them importance of opting for wholesome meal instead of junk by sponsoring meal for the children there. You can talk about Akshaya Patra that’s on a mission to get children back to school by serving them mid-day meals. They will realise the importance of wholesome meal. You can donate online on Akshaya Patra’s website and involve them in the activity.

Work for environment

Buy seeds and saplings and encourage them to plant those. They can also indulge in online fundraising to fund tree plantation drives. But most of all you can involve them in nurturing a beautiful garden at home so that they can learn to respect the environment.

Non-profit fundraising ideas

Children read and observe more than you can imagine. Have a brainstorming session with them at home discussing fundraising ideas. Reap some benefit out of this activity. For example, they can create an artwork that can be sold through social networking sites. The funds raised can be donated to non-profit organisations.

It’s only when such thoughts and acts are encouraged among children that we can build a selfless society. When you choose to donate towards charity, it’s the biggest gesture you can make in order to encourage children towards social service. Sponsor a child today!

How do NGOs leverage social media to promote their causes?

Techreport surveyed more than 4,000 NGOs last year across 153 countries about how they were using social media. Turns out, 92% of global non-profit organisations had a website and a Facebook page, 78% of these were mobile-compatible, while 72% used Twitter.

This report alone is proof that NGOs are targeting millennials and Gen-X that are more open to online donations or online fundraising campaigns. Donors now have a wide variety of choices to select a cause they feel most strongly for.

This blog lists some ways that are actively being used by global NGOs as they leverage social media and online channels for charity purposes, online fundraising and other such activities. We have taken the example of a global NGO in India called Akshaya Patra that’s on a mission to feed school-going children with a wholesome lunch every day.

Make success stories sharable

NGOs around the world now understand the impact of stories on social media. And since they are often involved in causes related to human rights, they often have great stories to tell. Akshaya Patra loves sharing Hope Stories that are easily sharable on social media. This encourages visitors to check their website for details such as online fundraising, sponsoring a child or sponsoring a school.

Write linkable tweets on other platforms

NGOs have learnt to leverage attention beyond their own websites and social media pages. They make themselves heard on other prominent platforms such as Forbes, The Huffington Post and others. Akshaya Patra has a small microblog on the online edition of Forbes with the Twitter icon, so that it can be easily shared. Such initiatives have helped people around the world associate mid-day meals with Akshaya Patra.

Sharing history to add credibility

NGOs are quite forthcoming these days about sharing their history and background. They choose compelling storytelling methods to talk about their history to encourage donors for donating to charity and building trust. Akshaya Patra has an interesting history that’s not only presented beautifully on their website but is often shared on various social media platforms in digestible chunks of content.

Use Youtube for visual recall

Youtube is a social channel that’s quite democratic when it comes to widespread reach. Akshaya Patra often shares video stories about important launches, events, its state-of-the-art kitchens and other aspects of its school lunch programme. Recently, noted author Rashmi Bansal’s book launch event had received considerable attention on Youtube. Her book –God’s Own Kitchen – is traces the Foundation’s journey.

Partner with others

A non-profit organisation cannot work alone. It needs like-minded partners. Akhaya Patra partners with startups and enterprises to scale up at various levels. In one such initiative, it partnered with Innovative Alchemy, which helped the organisation to develop an innovative kitchen design that helped scale up its kitchens. Partners like these often share this kind of content on their own social media platforms that further expands the reach of NGOs like Akshaya Patra.

NGOs today are more aware and tech-savvy and are clear about their target audience. This clarity often helps them increase the scope of their causes and source necessary means to implement schemes.

Have fun fundraising with Akshaya Patra!

School bell!
Children rushing inside the gates of the school!
The shouts and cheers at the playground!
If all these bring back some great memories, you have had a great childhood. Yes, school is that important and that memorable.

Akshaya Patra, the NGO that’s working to provide wholesome meals to school children in India, wishes that school remains a memorable part of every child’s life. It’s on a mission to bring the dropped-out children back to school by serving wholesome lunch in government schools.

Ask any Akshaya Patra staff and they would tell you that serving meals to children is most fulfilling. For that matter, any charity related to children is often transforming for donors, volunteers and staff. So as we urge people to join our mission of serving mid-day meals, we also encourage them to have fun as they do. You don’t need to always donate cash or kind to charity in order to make a difference. You can simply involve yourself in online fundraising to make your valuable contribution.

You may create your own online fundraising campaign, give it a personality that you want, share your thoughts about it and inspire your friends, relatives and even strangers. For instance, a volunteer Mr M Shiva Krishna raised Rs 15,000 in a simple campaign that he called ‘Hungry for School.’

You can share your thematic campaign and our website links on your social media handles and invite millions of people in a cause that you believe in. You may post some of our pictures, do your own posters with a message and inspire people to donate to charity.

We genuinely want you to understand the meaning as you engage in this online fundraising since after all our goal is to spread smiles, laughter and joy among school children. Start your campaign today.

Here’s an Easy Way to Fundraise with Akshaya Patra!

Approaching an issue with the right solution can have a powerful and positive impact. Akshaya Patra is no different. When we realised the importance of eliminating hunger among children, Mid-Day Meal Programme was implemented in the year 2000, which is currently operational in 13, 210 schools in 11 states across India. You too can get involved in feeding the hungry by fundraising with us!

Fundraising is simple and easy!

Fundraising generally involves many tasks – creating the campaign, communicating the cause, engaging people, raising funds, and all of this could be time-consuming. Akshaya Patra has made this entire process quick and easy on its website. Keeping simplicity in mind, Akshaya Patra allows registered users to create online fundraising campaigns on the website in only a few steps. You can start raising funds from work or home and also engage people from across the globe.

As a donor, we often underestimate the impact of a small amount. However, each fundraising campaign on Akshaya Patra is meaningful – the little and large charity donations we receive make a difference to many children’s lives. One of Akshaya Patra’s well-wishers created a ‘Live for Others’ charity fundraising campaign on the website and within four months, the campaign raised enough funds to feed 793 children for an entire year! To view more campaigns, visit active campaigns.

Akshaya Patra nurtures over 1.6 million school children every day with healthy mid-day meals and this undertaking promises a better future for our children. It is the Foundation’s mission to empower children, reduce school drop-out rate, and keep children healthy. As India progresses towards a hunger-free nation, you can support the programme along the way too with charity fundraising campaign for Akshaya Patra.

We urge you to get involved with Akshaya Patra in eliminating classroom hunger. Join the movement today and help us create awareness at a global level!