Akshaya Patra: June 2015

Tuesday, 30 June 2015

Mid-day Meal Hunger Ki Bajao

Propagating the importance of mid-day meal, Hunger ki Bajao is a unique initiative of Ching's Secret. Ching’s secret has recently partnered with Akshaya Patra to run a campaign called 'India Ke Hunger Ki Bajao'. The campaign is being promoted by Ranveer Singh who is also the Brand Ambassador of Ching’s.

The 'India Ke Hunger Ki Bajao' campaign will aim at raising funds to support children across Government schools. The active involvement of Ranveer with mid-day meal programme beneficiaries was seen as he generously sponsored meal for 10,000 children for an entire year. The video showcases the real involvement of Ranveer with mid-day meal programme as he communicates the importance of Rs. 750. He clearly communicates the potential of towards contributing Rs. 750 for mid-day meal aiding in hunger ki bajao.

The mid-day meal hunger ki bajao initiative with the support and involvement of one of the country’s young actor Ranveer is sure to appeal the youth of the country. The 'India Ke Hunger Ki Bajao' campaign has received support of established brands like Yash Raj Films, India TV, Red FM, Reliance Fresh, Patel Bros., Paytm, Choitrams and Fluence.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation, NGO in India has implemented the mid-day meal scheme to feed the future of India. The organization is feeding the government school children of 24 locations across 10 states in India.

@AkshayaPatraFoundation on Rediff | https://www.youtube.com/user/akshayapatra

Friday, 26 June 2015

NGO in India Akshaya Patra feeds over 1.4 million children

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a NGO in India that provides the daily, nutritious mid day meal programme to over 1.4 million children across India every day. Through this programme the Foundation aims to eliminate classroom hunger in the country. With 24 kitchen units spread out over 10 states of India, reaching out to 10,770 schools, the Foundation is working to realise its vision that ‘No child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger.’ Having achieved great progress over the past 15 years since its inception, the organisation has now shifted its focus towards achieving its mission of reaching out to 5 million children by the year 2020. The organisation started with feeding just 1,500 children across 5 schools in Bengaluru (Karnataka, India) in the year 2000. This exponential increase in scale has come about due to the sustainable practices the organisation has incorporated into implementing its programme, as well as the staunch support of the Government of India, corporates and private donors.

Maintaining quality above all else has been a huge priority for this NGO in India. Therefore Akshaya Patra implements Food Safety Management Systems in all its kitchens to ensure the food is absolutely safe for human consumption. In adherence to this, 10 of the kitchens supplying for the mid day meal programme have been ISO 22000: 2005 certified while the rest are in the process of getting certified. Besides this, the kitchens implement other safety and hygiene measures such as ensuring that all the staff maintains good personal hygiene like washing hands and taking daily showers. The staffs working in the kitchen wears uniforms as well as other preventive gear like face masks, hair caps, gloves and gumboots to prevent contaminating the food in any way. On top of this, hygiene charts are placed prominently around the kitchen to educate and inform on good hygiene practices.

Even after the food is cooked for the mid day meal programme, safety measures are strictly followed at Akshaya Patra. This NGO in India has custom designed meal delivery vehicles to transport the food safely to the beneficiary schools. These vehicles are fitted with a honeycomb structure that prevents the food from spilling during transportation, as well as a puffed body which insulates the van and maintains the proper temperature of the food till delivery. Before any food is packed into the vehicle, the vans are also sterilised with steam to keep the food safe for consumption. In testimony to the excellent food safety practices followed at the kitchen, the Foundation has been the recipient of food safety awards like the coveted CII National award for Food Safety in the year 2013 and 2014!

This Foundation has been safely serving nutritious, tasty food to underserved children all across India for the past 15 years. However in order to provide food for education to every hungry child, more needs to be done. Donate to Akshaya Patra to help the children.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an NGO in India works to eliminate classroom hunger through its mid-day meal programme Akshaya Patra reaches out to over 1.4 million children a day.

Wednesday, 24 June 2015

Support Akshaya Patra Jaipur in feeding children

Through the Akshaya Patra Foundation school feeding programme, today the Akshaya Patra Jaipur unit is feeding 92,763 children across 1,081 government as well as government aided schools. To make this mid day meal scheme Rajasthan possible, the foundation has set up four kitchens in the state. Jodhpur, Nathdwara, Baran and Jaipur are the places where the kitchen has been set up. All over India, the organization has 24 kitchen units across 10 states feeding 1.4 million children on every working day. The mid-day meal programme has made the foundation’s vision “No Child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger” to reality. The organization has a mission to provide school lunch to 5 million children by 2020.

The kitchen of the Akshaya Patra Jaipur has been ISO 22000:2005 certified. To maintain the excellent quality in the food the foundation provides, the kitchen complies with the standards set for Food Safety Management Systems by ISO, the International Organisation for Standardisation, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. One of the main priorities to the organization is the food quality. So far, the NGO has 10 of its kitchen ISO certified and the rest are in the process of getting the certification. In order to appeal the local tastes the kitchens have modified the mid day meal scheme Rajasthan menu along with the maintenance of excellent hygiene food. The usual food menu in this part of the region includes rice, Indian flatbread (roti), lentils curry (dal), savoury vegetable dishes, and a rice cooked in a seasonal broth (pulao).

The Akshaya Patra Foundation follows centralized model and decentralized model kitchens. The implementation of these kitchens depends on the certain factors like road connectivity, infrastructure and others. The Akshaya Patra Jaipur has the centralized kitchen. Nathdwara and Jodhpur also follows the same model. The centralized kitchens are machine intensive units that are capable of undertaking cooking in large quantities. The human contact with the food is very less in this model, due to the mechanized nature. This will maintain high quality and hygiene food with no compromise. This kind of kitchens is capable of producing 100,000 meals in a less time. The organization has also its unit in Baran and this unit follows decentralized kitchen model. The region is limited road connectivity and infrastructure. So with the help of local volunteers, the foundation implemented the programme in these remote regions. It is the first decentralized kitchen under the organization and it completed its 10 years of operation by providing the livelihood to thousands of children with school lunch programme.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation founded and started its operation in the year 2000 and has the reach of just 1,500 children across 5 schools of Bengaluru. In the past 15 years with its vision and mission along with the support of volunteer donors, the foundation has taken strides. To make every child not to suffer from hunger, there is still a long way to achieve that. Support the Akshaya Patra Jaipur kitchen, and help eliminate classroom hunger by making a donation and contribution to the programme.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation, NGO in India has implemented the mid-day meal scheme to feed the future of India. The organization is feeding the government school children of 24 locations across 10 states in India.

@AkshayaPatraFoundation on Rediff | https://www.youtube.com/user/akshayapatra

Tuesday, 23 June 2015

Akshaya Patra's Kitchen Facility in Affected Nepal

As Akshaya Patra has been engaged to provide relief, you too can donate food for Nepal people through this NGO. The April earthquake had left the Himalayan country completely devastated. As an immediate relief measure Akshaya Patra had prepared and transported more than one lakh meals for the affected people. But gauging the seriousness and utter need of the hour for hygienic food, it was decided to set up Akshaya Patra kitchen in Nepal with the support of Jamsetji Tata Trust and Sipradian Sahayata Sanstha. The Akshaya Patra kitchen in Nepal has been planned to be constructed in Bhaktapur (14 kms from Kathmandu) with the capacity to cook 10,000 meals per batch per hour.

It was conceptualised to have an Akshaya Patra kitchen in Nepal when the Tata Trust requested the Foundation to set up and operate the facility as a relief measure in the earthquake hit region. You can donate food for Nepal people by contributing towards this kitchen and it will also be a medium to feed food for Nepal children. A visit of the joint committee comprising of members from Tata Trust, Akshaya Patra and Sipradian Sahayata Sanstha brought to fore that more than 55,000 people have been rendered homeless. There is lack of clean water and food and even though food material is available people are cooking in unsafe and unhygienic conditions like near to garbage pits and open drains.

The need of the hour looks forward to your support. Donate food for Nepal people through Akshaya Patra.

You can see more about kitchen facility in Nepal at Akshaya Patra News.

@AkshayaPatraFoundation on Rediff | https://www.youtube.com/user/akshayapatra

Monday, 22 June 2015

In Support of Children Support Nonprofit Organizations

Of the nonprofit organizations for children, The Akshaya Patra Foundation is very well known. Established in the year 2000, this organisation provides the mid day meal programme in india to children who are underserved. The Foundation started feeding just 1,500 children from 5 schools in Bengaluru, but today feeds over 1.4 million children across 24 locations in India. With 10,770 Government schools benefitting from this programme, the Foundation is realizing its vision that ‘No child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger.’ The Foundation has achieved its reach through the generosity and support of the Government of India, corporates and individual donors. However to achieve its mission of feeding 5 million by 2020, Akshaya Patra requires online donations India and abroad in support of this cause.

Being recognized as one of the leading non profit organizations for children has been possible due to Akshaya Patra’s stringent focus on food safety and quality at all times. Despite the large quantity of food being cooked every day at the kitchens, the foundation implements the mid-day meal programme in India in a trustworthy manner, by incorporating and adhering to the Food Safety Management Systems. Of the 24 kitchens that the Foundation runs, 22 are centralised and two are decentralised. The centralised kitchens are highly efficient cooking units that are fitted with cutting edge technology that allows for cooking large amounts of food in a very short span of time, while still maintaining quality and hygiene standards diligently. The decentralised kitchens are constructed in locations where road transportation and infrastructure are a problem. Here the kitchens are run through women employed from local self-help groups, and are trained by Akshaya Patra personnel. This model of kitchen ensures that even children from remote areas benefit from the nutritious food. Through the ease and efficiency of online donations india has benefitted from the programme too.

Akshaya Patra’s name is known globally as one of the large non profit organizations for children also due to its presence abroad. With a chapter in the US and one in the UK, the Foundation is attempting to spread awareness of the poverty and malnutrition affecting children in India, and express the need for the mid day meal programme in india. Through international donations has been able to tackle pressing problems affecting children in a far more conclusive manner. With its focus on constantly scaling up to reach out to as many children as possible Akshaya Patra has opened its latest kitchens at Surat and Lucknow, and also opened its first Food Safety and Quality Control Lab in Ahmedabad. This constant innovation and progress is driving the Foundation closer each day to achieving its goals of eliminating classroom hunger in India.

Every little bit helps when providing food for education to hungry children, so that childhood hunger becomes a thing of the past. Help one of the largest non profit organizations for children provide the mid day meal in India. Help through online donations India programme and help to feed the children.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a not-for-profit organization committed to providing food for education to children in India. Read more about the organization on the Akshaya Patra blog.

Friday, 19 June 2015

NGO Excellence Award 2015 for Akshaya Patra

Akshaya Patra’s latest award in 2015 is NGO Excellence Awards 2015. The Quality Mark Award for Achievement was received by Akshaya Patra’s Gujarat team at an award ceremony by the Quality Mark Trust at the YMCA International Centre in Ahmedabad. This award is an encouragement for product and service excellence by various organisations with regard to their domain.

Alike other finalists, Akshaya Patra too had to go through the rigorous process of interviews and audits conducted by panel members from Quality Mark Trust before being declared as the winner of NGO Excellence Awards 2015. There were several reputed Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) who contested in the awards. Established in 2013, the Quality Mark Trust is a coming together of experts in various fields like environment, health, quality and safety management systems in India. Through the Quality Mark Award these experts honour organisations and individuals who have sincerely dedicated their efforts in providing quality services and products to the society.

The NGO Excellence Award 2015 was presented by Honourable Minister of Cabinet, Government of Gujarat, Dilip Sanghani; Director CED, Dr. Chandan Chatterjee and Bollywood Actress Shazahn Padamsee. Akshaya Patra representatives namely Kaushik Pandya, General Manager (HR), Gujarat Region and Amrit Ranjan Sahoo, Deputy Manager (Operations) were present to receive this Akshaya Patra latest award 2015.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a non profit organization in India, founded in the year 2000. The organization is operating in 10 states of India by serving mid day meal to the government and government aided school children every day.

@AkshayaPatraFoundation on Rediff | https://www.youtube.com/user/akshayapatra

Wednesday, 17 June 2015

NGO in Chhattisgarh feeds nearly 25,000 Children a day

The Akshaya Patra NGO in Chhattisgarh started its operations in the state with its kitchen at Bhilai which began in January 2009. Today the mid day meal in Chhattisgarh is served through this kitchen reaching out to 23,674 children across 160 Government and Government aided schools in the state. In order to provide this food for education, the foundation has constructed a centralized kitchen unit in this location. This centralized kitchen is a large kitchen unit equipped with state-of-the-art machinery that allows for food to be cooked in large quantities in a very short amount of time. Due to the use of technology in the cooking process, there is limited human contact with the food which maintains proper quality and hygiene in the cooking procedure at all times. The kitchen is supported through contributions from the Central and State Government, corporates and through individuals who generously donate online to help eliminate classroom hunger in the state.

Food Safety Management Systems are in place in kitchen of this NGO in Chhattisgarh. To ensure that the mid day meal in Chhattisgarh is not just tasty, but also healthy to eat, the staff at the Bhilai kitchen follows hygiene practices such as wearing gloves, masks, gum boots and uniforms while they are on the premises. They also follow healthy personal hygiene practices such as regularly washing their hands and taking daily showers.

See more at: http://www.articlesbase.com/causes-and-organizations-articles/ngo-in-chhattisgarh-feeds-nearly-25000-children-a-day-7279766.html

@AkshayaPatraFoundation on Rediff | https://www.youtube.com/user/akshayapatra

Monday, 15 June 2015

Mid-day meal vehicle donation in memory of dear one

Mid-day meal vehicle donations to The Akshaya Patra Foundation are one of the most practical ways to get associated with the school meal programme. These vehicles become significant aid in transporting cooked meal to the schools. Recently, B.D. Damodaram and family made two mid-day meal vehicle donations to the Mysuru kitchen of the Foundation in memory of their daughter B.D. Sadhana. Last year too, the family donated a vehicle to the Akshaya Patra’s Vasanthapura kitchen on the same occasion which also got featured as NGO latest event in Bangalore. Prakash, son of B.D. Damodaram, said that he was pleased to make vehicle donations to the Foundation in memory of his sister.

B. D Damodaram and family donated mid day meal van to akshaya patra in mysuru

The vehicles have been customised with Akshaya Patra’s signature honeycomb structure for preventing food spillage during transport and also an insulated body to maintain food temperature and freshness till it is delivered. The two mid-day meal vehicle donations will aid the Mysuru kitchen in transporting freshly cooked food to more than 5,000 children across 15 schools of the region.

Friday, 12 June 2015

Feeding the future of India

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an Indian NGO implementing the Central Mid-Day Meal Scheme across Government schools. It was initiated in the year 2000 in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Initially it began feeding in five Government schools of the Bengaluru city. Witnessing the overwhelming response for the need of the programme, Akshaya Patra strategically began expanding its operations to other parts of the state and eventually to other states of India. Currently, Akshaya Patra is feeding Government school children of 24 locations across 10 states namely: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. In total, Akshaya Patra feeds more than 1.4 million children every day across the country.

These beneficiaries come from humble background but bring with them high aspirations. They are determined enough to not let their unfavourable socio-economic status come as a hurdle when it is the question of pursuing their dreams. At Akshaya Patra, each meal has its own unique story. Hence, the NGO ensures that it provides nutritious, hygienic and tasty food on each day. It also designs its menu based on the location to cater to the local palate. For example: the menu of Akshaya Patra kitchen at Karnataka will cater to South Indian palate whereas the menu item of Akshaya Patra Gujarat will cater to North Indian palate.

Over the years of implementation of mid-day meal, the Government of India along with partner NGOs has witnessed positive impact on the growth, development and regularity to school among children. Studies have also brought to fore that there has been increase in enrolment and attendance, also decreasing the rate of dropout. Mid-Day Meal Scheme has shown significant results in countering classroom hunger among children. These positive alterations during the growth years of children give them the confidence to lead a self-sustaining life in the future. It instils in them the determination and certainty of being able to come out of the vicious cycle of poverty, hunger and illiteracy.

Join Akshaya Patra in feeding the future of India and creating sustainable assets.

@AkshayaPatraFoundation on Rediff | https://www.youtube.com/user/akshayapatra

Thursday, 11 June 2015

Akshaya Patra ngo in vadodara feeds over 100,000 children a day

The Akshaya Patra ngo in Vadodara was established in November 2009. This kitchen today feeds the mid day meal in Vadodara to 113,593 children across 616 Government and Government aided schools in the region on every working day. Being a centralized unit, this kitchen is more than equipped to cater to these large numbers with ease. Through this and its other kitchens at Ahmedabad and Surat, Akshaya Patra feeds over 400,000 children across 1,653 Government schools in the state of Gujarat. For those that want to help the Foundation reach out to more children in the region, donate online to charity Akshaya Patra to make a difference.

The ngo in Vadodara functions from a centralized kitchen, which is a highly mechanized kitchen which is fitted with the latest cooking technology that allows it to cook food in large quantities very quickly. Because of the intensive use of machinery in the centralized kitchens there is very little human interaction with the food. This ensures that all the food cooked is healthy, hygienic, and safe for consumption and meets all of Akshaya Patra’s rigorous quality standards. Akshaya Patra currently runs 22 centralized and two decentralized kitchens. To ensure that the food is to the liking of the beneficiaries, the mid day meal in Vadodara has been modified to suit the cultural tastes of the region. Therefore the menu here consists of items like rice, rotis (Indian flatbread), khichdi (rice and lentils curry) and other vegetable dishes. Many who wish to donate online to charity often choose to support Akshaya Patra in order to help the Foundation feed more underserved children every day.

The ngo in vadodara is also ISO 22000:2005 certified. This certification is acknowledgement that this kitchen is compliant with the Food Safety Management System standards, as specified by the International Organization for Standards, Geneva, Switzerland. To deliver the tasty food cooked in the kitchens the mid day meal in Vadodara is transported to the schools through 39 custom designed meal delivery vans. These vans are fitted with a honeycomb structure that prevents the food from spilling during transportation, and also has a puffed body which is insulated which maintains the correct temperature of the food until delivery. The Foundation also provides the option of online donation to the charity of Akshaya Patra and sponsors a meal delivery van.

Though Akshaya Patra has made a lot of progress fighting classroom hunger, there is more to do. Help the Foundation reach more children. Donate online to charity now.

@AkshayaPatraFoundation on Rediff | https://www.youtube.com/user/akshayapatra

Tuesday, 9 June 2015

Impact of mid-day meal on growing children

Over the years, the Mid-Day Meal Scheme has proved itself to be a supporting pillar in the overall development of children even at the grass root level of the society. The Scheme that was initiated by Government of India is being implemented by various Non-Governmental Organisations too. The Akshaya Patra Foundation is one among the various NGOs. Akshaya Patra began providing school lunch at five Government schools in Bengaluru city of Karnataka in 2000. This was even before the official central mandate in 2003 by the Government of India to provide free cooked mid-day meal at all Government schools. But after the mandate was passed, Akshaya Patra partnered with the Government of India in providing cooked meals at schools. Since then, Akshaya Patra has been working in a Public-Private Partnership model to achieve the six objectives of the Central Mid-Day Meal Scheme i.e.:

Eliminating classroom hunger
Increasing school enrolment
Increasing school attendance
Improving socialization among castes
Addressing malnutrition, and
Women empowerment

During the course of implementing the mid-day meal programme for 15 years now, Akshaya Patra has also conducted impact studies of the programme in association with noted research organisations. The Akshaya Patra kitchen process and operations has also become a part of prestigious institutes like Harvard Business School. Below are mention of few impact studies that clearly showcase the significance and potential of the mid-day meal programme in eliminating classroom hunger, improving child health and also increasing enrolment and concentration of children.

‘Assessment of Mid-Day Meal Programme In 8 States’ by Sigma Research and Consulting Pvt. Ltd.
‘Impact Assessment Study Report of The Akshaya Patra Foundation - HPCL Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects (2012-13)’ by Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS)
‘Report on Measuring the Impact of Mid- Day-Meal on Child Growth’ by Department of Public Health Manipal University
‘Evaluation of the Mid-Day Meal Programme – June 2012’ by Kusuma Trust U.K.
‘Impact study 2012’ by Edumedia
‘Impact Assessment of The Akshaya Patra Foundation’s Mid-Day Meal Programme 2010’ by A.C. Nielsen
‘Akshaya Patra: Feeding India's School Children’ by Harvard business school

A click on Akshaya Patra Impact Studies will take you to the details of each of the above mentioned studies. To support Akshaya Patra, donate online to charity.

@AkshayaPatraFoundation on Rediff | https://www.youtube.com/user/akshayapatra

Monday, 8 June 2015

Food for hungry children

It has been estimated that there is enough food in the world for everyone, yet we need to appeal for food for hungry children. Even when economies across the globe show progress, hunger still remains the most crucial issue. There are many non-profit organizations working to bridge the gap between the food and people and it has indeed shown positive alterations but we are far from achieving a status of zero hunger. Studies show that 1 in every 9 people suffer from hunger. Studies reveal that the present hunger scenario kills more people than deadly diseases like tuberculosis, malaria and AIDS combined.

Developing and under-developed countries are most hit by the endemic issue of hunger. And millions of children below five years of age die to the effects of hunger like malnutrition and underweight. Even though 66 million children go to primary school, they are in the grips of hunger, in this case will these children be able to learn even basic lessons taught in the classroom? At this juncture it becomes evident that it is more important to provide food for hungry children than anything else. The mid-day meal scheme does something similar. The mid-day meal scheme provides free school lunch to children. And for many, this meal is the only meal they receive for the entire day. Akshaya Patra is one of the non-profit organizations that is providing mid-day meal to millions of children across India.

When we provide food for hungry children, we are also gifting them health. Join the mission of feeding children with Akshaya Patra. Click here to read more on the hunger status across the globe and India.

@AkshayaPatraFoundation on Rediff | https://www.youtube.com/user/akshayapatra

Saturday, 6 June 2015

NGO in Uttar Pradesh feeds 150,000 children daily

The Akshaya Patra NGO in Uttar Pradesh runs two kitchens in the state. The Vrindavan kitchen was opened in August 2004, while the Lucknow kitchen was just recently opened in March 2015. Both these kitchens follow the centralized kitchen format and are responsible for cooking the Mid Day Meal in Uttar Pradesh. Together, the kitchens reach out to 150,663 children across 1,983 Government and Government aided schools in the region. The Foundation feeds these children the nutritious daily food through its programme that is run via charity donation from the Government of India, corporate groups and individual donors.

The two centralized kitchens of this NGO in Uttar Pradesh are highly mechanized structures that have been equipped with the latest cooking machinery to ensure that all the food is cooked in the fastest and safest manner, with the most consistent quality. To ensure that the food is appetizing to the beneficiaries the Mid Day Meal in Uttar Pradesh is tailor made to suit the local palate. Therefore the dishes served in this region include delicious dishes like roti (India flatbread), Pulao (vegetable rice), dal (lentils curry), Khichdi (lentils curry with rice) and other tasty vegetable dishes. Charity donation from interested parties all over India and abroad has been largely responsible in allowing the Foundation to expand its programme in the region and feed more underserved children.

Another attractive feature of this NGO in Uttar Pradesh is the roti making machine at the Vrindavan kitchen, and other kitchens around the country. This machine has the capacity to cook up to 60,000 rotis in just one hour. As part of its efforts to reach out to more children with the Mid Day Meal in Uttar Pradesh, the Lucknow kitchen was inaugurated by Chief Minister of the State Akhilesh Yadav on 15^th March, 2015. The kitchen which has been built over two acres of land provided to the Foundation by the State Government has been constructed due to the charity donation of the Caterpillar Foundation, a principal sponsor of the kitchen.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation started serving the daily, healthy lunch programme in the year 2000, feeding just 1,500 children across 5 schools of Bengaluru. Today the Foundation feeds over 1.4 million children across 24 locations of India on every school day. Help provide food for education to the underserved children of Uttar Pradesh and across India by making a contribution to the programme now. Donate to feed the children.

Friday, 5 June 2015

Noble aspiration of an Akshaya Patra beneficiary

Each Akshaya Patra beneficiary has their unique story. Be it from any part of India, each beneficiary brings with him a ray of hope, determination and humbleness. Here is an anecdote of a simple boy Rahim of Upper Primary School, Pati village, Patancheru Mandal of Hyderabad. Being Thursday, Rahim was clad in casual attire alike the other students in the school. The school’s calendar has scheduled all Thursdays to be a day of art, craft and sports and hence allow students to come in casual wear. Rahim hails from a humble background where his father works as an auto driver and mother is a housewife. He has a younger brother and sister. Despite the financial constraints back home, Rahim is determined to become a doctor. A diligent student Rahim says that as a doctor he will be able to save lives of people. Apart from studying regularly he helps his mother with household chores. He also takes great interest in helping his siblings with their studies. This Akshaya Patra beneficiary relishes on dal (lentils) and fruits that is served as a part of mid-day meal. His siblings too are Akshaya Patra beneficiaries and study in the same school.

The Headmaster of the school C.H. Ramulu says that the students hail from humble backgrounds and many of their parent work at ceramic company. There are also quite a few migrants working in nearby industries. Appreciating the Akshaya Patra mid-day meal, Ramulu said that the meal is a very important part of the children’s lives.

Rahim’s story was just one of the Akshaya Patra success stories in Hyderabad. Click here to read more Akshaya Patra success stories in Hyderabad.

Follow us: @AkshayaPatra on Twitter | TheAkshayapatraFoundation on Facebook |

@AkshayaPatraFoundation on Rediff | https://www.youtube.com/user/akshayapatra

Wednesday, 3 June 2015

Bollywood Star Ranveer Singh campaigns for Akshaya Patra!

Since inception in June 2000, Akshaya Patra has seen involvement of people from all walks of life towards the noble cause of feeding children. Akshaya Patra always provides a platform for existing supporters as well as invites new supporters to get involved in nation building through feeding the young hearts. Over the years of implementing the mid-day meal programme, Akshaya Patra has witnessed that each meal has its own story and each beneficiary has his or her own special dream. Thus the Foundation has always thrived to provide quality, hygienic and tasty mid-day meal each day to each of the beneficiaries.

Currently, Akshaya Patra is operational in 24 locations of 10 states. Each day, Akshaya Patra feeds mid-day meal to more than 1.4 million children across Government schools. It aims to feed 5 million children by 2020. The task indeed is humongous but not unattainable. Working towards the mission, Akshaya Patra welcomes participation from each member of the country. The participation could be in the form of skill, time, funds, awareness creation or even volunteering. The recent partnership with Ching’s Secret is an exemplary one as it has brought in Ranveer Singh, the Brand Ambassador of Ching’s Secret and popular Bollywood Star to campaign for Akshaya Patra.

Ranveer has been actively involved in the planning and execution of the campaign called 'India Ke Hunger Ki Bajao'. The campaign aims to feed at least 1 million children across the country. Ranveer’s sincere support towards the children was witnessed as he offered his support to 10,000 children and sponsored their mid-day meals for an entire year at the launch of the campaign. Along with Akshaya Patra beneficiaries as Ranveer appeals in this video it just takes 10 seconds and a minimum amount of Rs. 750 to feed a child for an entire year. This amount has the potential to nourish and change the life of millions of young citizens. The campaign will receive broadcast in television, radio and digital platforms. It is also being supported by well-known brands like Yash Raj Films, India TV, Red FM, Reliance Fresh, Patel Bros., Paytm, Choitrams and Fluence.

Managing Director of Capital Foods (Ching's Secret's parent company), Ajay Gupta opines that it’s time to give back to the society and education of children will definitely lead to a better future of the country. Ranveer Singh too adds that he loves kids and being able to be involved with the cause of Akshaya Patra gives him immense joy. He believes that being the role of Indian youth, he will be able to spread the message and bring in maximum participation for the cause.

@AkshayaPatraFoundation on Rediff | https://www.youtube.com/user/akshayapatra