Food Is Everything! A Free Meal Can Work Wonders

There is no doubt that food is one of the basic necessities in life. A balanced diet helps maintain cells and tissues; provides energy needed for physical activity and protects the body against diseases.  On the other hand, poor nutrition can weaken the immune system and lead to learning problems, bone diseases and premature death.

Nearly 795 million people in the world are undernourished, according to The Millennium Development Goals Report 2015 released by the United Nations (UN).  Another data released jointly by the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) and the World Bank shows that in 2014, nearly 159 million children around the world were stunted, while another 50 million children were wasted.

The situation is not better in India where about 300 million people live in extreme poverty.  Hunger has become such a major issue in India that several parents do still compromise on their children’s education and send them for manual labour.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation, a top NGO in India, has been working hard since 2000, so that malnutrition and hunger will permanently disappear from Indian schools.

As its name Akshaya Patra suggests-‘an inexhaustible food bowl’- the NGO has been providing ‘unlimited food for education’ so that every child will get an opportunity to attend school regularly.

Starting its service with just 1,500 children in Bengaluru, over the past 15 years , Akshaya Patra has gone up to bring rays of hope among over 1.4 million underserved school children studying in different parts of India.

Akshaya Patra has set up 24 kitchens in 10 states to prepare freshly cooked mid-day meals to school children. Notably, this meal includes almost all the nutrients needed for a healthy growth.  Interestingly, the menu is also suitable for the local palate.  The organisation follows standard processes for preparing meals and also uses latest technology and well-trained staff to assure safety and maintain quality of food.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is currently working on to expand its service to 5 million school children by 2020. Reaching this goal is not very far from reality, especially when we take into consideration the strong support and encouragement the organisation has received from people across the whole world in the past.

Show your support and help us reach our goal by feeding a child.