Monday, 25 March 2013

Consider Akshaya Patra for Charity Donations for Children


When you consider charity giving for children, The Akshaya Patra Foundation could be a worthwhile choice. Akshaya Patra is a Charitable Trust in India. It implements the mid day meal programme in 9 states of India under the aegis of Central and the respective State Governments. By this programme this Foundation reaches out to Indian children in need who have the potential and ability to achieve high, if provided the basic necessities of food and education.

The Foundation’s focus remains in providing ‘unlimited food for education’ to the budding future of the nation. The Foundation utilizes the charity funds towards achieving a hunger free and educated India. In this way, it is also working towards countering two of the most crucial issues of UN Millennium Development Goals i.e. hunger and illiteracy. So, any amount of charitable funds donated to this Charitable Trust in India not only has the potential to transform the future of India but also of the world at large.

In the journey of reaching out to 1.3 million children every day, the Foundation has been thankful to the donors for their valuable charity donations for children. Though the Foundation cannot be termed wholly as a child NGO but its primary role is to provide mid day meals to the children studying in Government schools. It is currently providing meals to children in more than 9000 Government schools.

The Foundation plans to increase its reach in many other locations and to do so it is need of charitable funds. Funds for this charitable trust in India is currently received from generous Corporate and Individual donors along with the continuous aid from the Government in the form of grain grants. There are various Corporates who play an active role in the Foundations growth. Many Corporate Houses both Public and Private Companies donate funds to the Foundation as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives.

Charity giving for children is always considered as a noble deed; and when it has double impact on the children, it becomes all the more wonderful. Your contribution of charitable funds will provide food to the children in need and also help them get educated in return. This education will enable them to be self equipped and skilled enough to be able to provide for themselves and their family.

Your charity donations for children to The Akshaya Patra Foundation will thus turn to be a potential tool for eradicating hunger and illiteracy. Donate to today and see the changes in the form of a healthy, educated and responsible tomorrow.

Thursday, 21 March 2013

Tax Exemption: Be an Agent of Change While you Save Tax

Whether a country is developed or developing, every nation works towards the betterment of its citizens. But, at this juncture it becomes important to understand that it is not only the responsibility of the Government to ensure prosperity of its citizens; rather it’s the responsibility of the fellow citizens too to help uplift the society. NGOs thereby provide a platform for the citizens to take up the roles of “agent of change”. The Akshaya Patra Foundation- an Indian NGO does the same.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation - an NGO in India is working towards providing school lunch to the children studying in Government schools. It is based in Bangalore but has spread its reach across India. The main factor that acts as a motivating factor for this Foundation is its belief that education is a potential tool to erase poverty, hunger and illiteracy.

Hence, it aims to provide “unlimited food for education” in the form of mid day meal programme to the children in India. These children have many ambitious dreams and all these dreams can be turned into reality by providing food and education. Unless the children eat a stomach full of food they will neither be healthy nor will they be able to concentrate and perform in school.

Akshaya Patra therefore works at the grass root level and provides the basic need of food to 1.6 million children in India, everyday. This Indian NGO operates in 12 states of India covering more than 13800+ Government schools. It aims at feeding 5 million children by 2020. Along with strategic planning for expansion, the Foundation also requires support from the citizens of the nation.

At present, it has the support of the Central, State Governments and valuable Corporate and Individual donors. But to expand it further it will need more helping hands. Lend a hand; donate for towards the mid-day meal programme of Akshaya Patra

Your donation will be significant in terms of making the future of the nation healthy and educated. Also, any contribution of yours that is above Rs. 500 will be eligible for 50% Tax Exemption under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act of the Government of India.

Feed to educate the children in India through this Indian NGO- Akshaya Patra.


 Like TheAkshayapatraFoundation     Follow @AkshayaPatra

Saturday, 16 March 2013

Akshaya Patra Expresses its Gratitude to Bring about the Vast Change


Akshaya Patra started its journey of feeding school children with 1500 children.  It is said that a tree of good intention is fast laden with fruits. Though beginning with a humble number, we have been able to achieve vast extension of our reach. We are feeding 1.3 million children in 19 locations spread across 9 states.  Akshaya Patra is not only removing hunger but promoting education and taking the children to the path of happiness and growth.

The one wholesome, hot nutritious meal served had miraculous impact.

Impact study done by A.C Nielson on Akshaya Patra’s work came out with the following results-

• Increase in school attendance

• Socialisation among children

• Empowerment of local women

• Improvement in nutritional status

• Increase in enrolment by 28%

• Decrease in drop-out rate by 8%

We were able to reach all these milestones with the help received from Government, individual donors and corporates. The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a unique Public Private Partnership (PPP) where the Government is a major stakeholder. The Government of India, along with various State Governments, provides subsidies in the form of cash and grain grants.

At the same time generous donations for children from individuals, corporate and public sector units have also played an important role in providing a nutritious, balanced meal for the children. Our donors had been substantial to sustain and expand our program. We express our gratitude to them. We could not have achieved it without their support

We have been able to feed 1.3 million children, but we have long way to go to fulfill our mission of feeding 5 million children by 2020. For this we need to expand and increase the number of kitchen at the same time we need funds for incurring the running cost of our existing kitchen. We expect you to support us with the same zeal to expand the horizon of our reach to hungry children.

You have been the cause of bringing smiles to 1.3 million faces; we seek your support to spread it to 5 million. 

 Like TheAkshayapatraFoundation     Follow @AkshayaPatra

Thursday, 14 March 2013

Aid a Cause While Saving Tax - Indian NGO


Globally, there are many NGOs working towards critical causes. The gamut of causes varies from environmental, social, human rights, health and nutrition, education, animal rights and the like. These NGOs either function in one particular location of the world or are branched out across the globe. The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a NGO in India. This Indian NGO works towards providing mid-day meal to children in India. It works in partnership with Central and State Governments. There is a strong belief of providing “unlimited food for education” behind its mid-day meal programme implementation. 

Started in 2000 by feeding just 1500 children, today Akshaya Patra feeds 1.3 million children across India everyday. It has been a journey of 12 years to reach out to children across 9 states of India. Children studying in more than 9000 Government schools are served with freshly cooked, nutritious and wholesome school lunch. This meal for many children is the only full meal of the day. 

Apart from providing nutritional and health benefits to the children in India, it also acts a reason for them to come to school. This Indian NGO takes care of the local palate while preparing the mid-day meal. As the operation of Akshaya Patra is spread across different states of India, it becomes important to adapt the taste of the meal to each location so that children enjoy their meal. However, in doing so, it keeps the nutritional quality of each palate intact. 

This Indian NGO runs the programme in Public- Private Partnership model. Apart from the subsidies and aid that the Government provides, it depends on the contributions of the Corporate and Individual donors. For this it has charted out many opportunities for Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives and individual volunteering. Akshaya Patra is registered under Indian Trusts Act, 1882. 

It provides 100 % tax exemption for all the donations above Rs. 500 under Section 35 AC of the Income Tax Act of the Government of India. Consider to donate for Akshaya Patra that is constantly striving to provide food for the children in India and thereby educating them too. You will be a significant help in feeding and education the children of the nation. Along with that you will also avail the opportunity to save tax. 


 Like TheAkshayapatraFoundation     Follow @AkshayaPatra

Tuesday, 12 March 2013

Akshaya Patra Aiding Children with Mid Day Meal to Continue their Education


Every meal that is served to the children has its own share of story. This story of Neha and her siblings shows how the mid day meal is helping them continue their education.

Neha Singh enjoys assisting her teachers while serving the mid-day meal at school. The grade 5 student says, “I enjoy serving food because everybody looks forward to you. Everybody calls out my name and asks for a roti. It makes me feel good.” The teachers of the school appreciate Neha’s benevolent attitude.

For Neha, this is the first year that she has been exposed to the mid-day meal programme in the school.  Prior to joining the Government Primary School in Sindhi Nadir, Jaipur, Neha studied in a private school. Her family’s financial crisis forced the three sisters including Neha to join the Government school so that they could continue their education. Like most other children, Neha loves the “rice and biscuit” among all that is served by Akshaya Patra in the mid-day meal. She walks every day for 20 minutes to reach the school. Neha is good at studies and wants to study English in her High School.

Jaipur is globally renowned of semi precious stones and jewellery made out of it. Neha’s parents work involves making holes in semi precious stones. Their earnings depend on the number of stones they finish in a day. Neha’s mother, Sarita Singh says, “It is a very intricate work as it requires lot of concentration.” Neha’s father Jithendra Singh says that they are busy during the months from February to July since there is an influx of tourists to Rajasthan during those months. But the rest of the year is hard for the family. Adding to the problem is inflation that directly impacts the family’s savings.

Sarita wants her children to get good education. She says, “We never got to study much, but I want my children to lead a secure life. Though our children had to be shifted to Government schools because of financial problems, I hope they will continue to perform well at school.”

 Neha’s family has gone through a whirlwind of change. A few years ago, they had about 10 artisans working for them, now her parents are working as daily wage labourers to feed the family.  It is in these circumstances the mid-day meal programme has helped the daughters of the family to grow strong and nourish their dreams. If not for the mid-day meal, as in the mother’s words, “We would give them whatever little we can spare, for a wholesome meal at home is now a reminiscence of the past.”

 Like TheAkshayapatraFoundation     Follow @AkshayaPatra

Wednesday, 6 March 2013

School Children Meet Akshaya Patra Kitchen Employees


We, at The Akshaya Patra Foundation strive towards providing mid-day meal to more than one million school children every day across India. A nutritious meal is prepared in our kitchens and is distributed in various Government schools. 

As a part of the employee engagement initiative, the Human Resource team of the Akshaya Patra arranged a school visit for the kitchen employees. This enterprise was taken up in order to weave a thread of connection between the kitchen staff and the school children. 

The employees visited the Government Higher Primary School Uttarahalli in Bangalore. The children assembled for their morning prayer after the bell rang. They were all curious to know, as to who were the people standing in front of them. The Principal announced that they were none other than the Akshaya Patra employees. The announcement was met with excited cheers and claps. The children were elated to meet the staff. When the Principal asked, whether the students would like to visit the centralised kitchen, there was a loud “YES” – the roar of 1000 enthusiastic children.

More about Akshaya Patra Kitchens here....

 There was an interactive session, during which the children were briefed about the nature of work of the kitchen employees. In their interaction the employees explained the importance of the mid-day meal to the children. As the employees and the children talked, there was applause, laughter, and a lot of smiles. The children also shared their thoughts on their favourite Akshaya Patra dish. The employees were glad to meet the children for whom they cook and they understood how their effort is making a huge difference in the lives of the children.

 Like TheAkshayapatraFoundation     Follow @AkshayaPatra

Tuesday, 5 March 2013

Akshaya Patra receives Gold Award at PRCI Corporate Collateral Awards 2013

The Public Relation Council of India (PRCI) recently held its 7th Annual Global Communication Conclave at Hyderabad. It was a two-day Global Meet and the agenda included: Induction of PR Professionals into Hall of Fame; Chanakya Awards for Achievers; followed by Corporate Collateral Award. The Akshaya Patra Foundation received a Gold Award in PRCI Corporate Collateral Awards-2013.

PRCI is a National Body of professionals from Public Relations, Corporate Communications, Advertising, Media, Event Managers and Academicians. It was established in 2004 and is headquartered in Bangalore. It is spread across India in 23 centres. 

The PRCI’s Corporate Collateral Awards recognizes professional standards in communication support material in the categories like Annual Report, Corporate Brochures, Newsletters, and the like. Gold, Silver and Bronze are the awards for each category. Akshaya Patra bagged the Gold Award in the category of Corporate Brochure. 


Monday, 4 March 2013

Importance of Akshaya Patra's Nutritious Food for Children

“Healthy citizens are vital for a healthy nation”. However clichéd this might sound, the ground reality remains an absolute fact. This is well construed by every nation and hence each nation has developed many programmes and schemes to achieve this objective.

Talking specifically about India, the Central Government has initiated many Child health and Nutrition Programmes as a step towards countering malnutrition and child hunger. These programmes put forth the standard nutrition requirement of children at different stages of their growth and how the requirement can be met. One such programme is the Mid Day Meal Scheme.

It is a free school lunch programme executed in Government schools. It is an effort to counter classroom hunger, child hunger and malnutrition among children from the lower economic strata. It is also a medium to address the issue of illiteracy by encouraging children to come to school and continue their education.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation implements this Mid-Day Meal Programme under the aegis of Central and various State Governments. It provides freshly cooked nutritious meal to more than 9000 Government schools across 19 locations of India. At Akshaya Patra, all types of green vegetables and pulses are used in its mid-day meal recipes. Even though the menu changes depending on the local palate, it always follows the Government nutrition norms while preparing the mid-day meal.

According to National Programme of Mid Day Meal in Schools the cooked mid-day meals should provide 450 Calories for Primary students and 700 Calories for Upper Primary students. It should provide 12 grams of protein for Primary students and 20 grams for Upper Primary students; along with adequate quantities of micro-nutrients like Iron, Folic Acid, Vitamin A etc. Akshaya Patra is able to adequately meet these norms through its nutrition specific recipes.