All Latest Happenings of Akshaya patra at NGO News

The Akshaya Patra Foundation has always believed in being transparent and sharing information with all stakeholders. It regularly publishes latest NGO news in its official website’s NGO news section. Right from new developments within the Foundation, achievements of the Foundation till dignitary visits, all the information can be easily availed in the Akshaya Patra NGO news section.

As a NGO it becomes necessary to keep all stakeholders updated about the happenings in the Foundation. The exclusive news section allows viewers and supporters to easily access all latest developments and achievements that are happening in Akshaya Patra. It also informs supporters of campaign launches, new partnerships and new operational expansions. So just click at latest NGO news and know all the recent happenings at The Akshaya Patra Foundation. 

Win a Prize by Clicking a Smile – Akshaya Patra Contest

A smile is the reflection of happiness and satisfaction, no wonder, children smile a lot! The best way to immortalize the joy and happiness of their childhood is photography. Click a Smile, an online photography contest conducted by The Akshaya Patra Foundation, gives you a chance to eternalize these innocent smiles through the art of photography.

Anyone from across the world who loves to click pictures-either professionally or as a hobby- can participate in the Akshaya Patra photo contest. The 2015 photography competition puts forward certain rules and regulations for the photographers. Contestants can upload only up to three photographs for the online photography contest.  The images should be of a smiling child or a group of happy children. The photographs can be shot in any background including home, school or playground. The photographs should be in a digital (JPEG) form, should be less than 4 MB and should have a minimum resolution of 800 pixels.

Most importantly, the photographs should be original and not manipulated. However, the participants have the freedom to make some minor edits in their images, mainly in curves, colour, saturation, contrast, levels, cropping, clean ups and sharpening.  Images with too much of manipulation will not be accepted for the Akshaya Patra photo contest.  Similarly, composite images, sandwich shots and photographs with more than one separate image or multiple exposures will be disqualified from the online photography contest.

All the entries of the online photography contest will be thoroughly analysed and evaluated by a group of highly qualified professionals from the industry.  The best three entries will be decided on the basis of content, composition, sensitivity, creativity and style and will be honoured with a trophy, certificate and gift voucher from the organisation.

The 2015 photography competition has three experts as judges. Kanick Samuel, who is currently serving J Walter Thompson, Bangalore as Senior Creative Director, has 12 years of experience in advertising industry.  Being a product of Chitrakala Parishath, College of Fine Arts, Bangalore, Kanick has used his creativity to serve some leading advertising agencies like Ogilvy & Mather, Contract, Saatchi & Saatchi and Mudra Communications.

The second judge, Suresh V.B., a professional photographer, is working as a Creative Consultant in Circle Communications. Suresh is an expert in candid street, portrait and travel photography.

Our final judge Vicky Roy is a documentary photographer. Mastering the art of photography from the International Centre of Photography (ICP), Vicky was chosen to photo document reconstruction of World Trade Center, New York in 2008.

Click a Smile has succeeded in pulling crowds in the past. Last year, the Akshaya Patra photo contest received an amazing response with a whopping 1,500 entries from 50 countries.  This year, we expect more!

Deadline for submitting images for the 2015 photography competition is 22nd December, 2015.

Pick up your camera, register yourself and satisfy the shutterbug in you. We can help turn your passion into an achievement! Don’t miss this chance to take part, and spread the joy of smiles too.

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.

Sponsor for an NGO for Children and Build a Better Society

Childhood is a time meant mainly for learning and playing. However, in India, many parents often struggle to take care of their little ones and provide the basic necessities needed during the early stages of their growth, including a good education and a healthy diet.

Education is one of the prime factors required for growth and development of the country. India has come a long way since acquiring independence and the overall outlook of the nation has undergone drastic changes over the past few years. However, we are yet to achieve 100% literacy rate and still stand at 74.04%. This has been one of the main factors preventing India from becoming a developed nation.  But the situation is far better than what it was used to be in 1947, when only 12% of the population was literate. A major part of this success can be attributed to different Government and non-Government organisations, particularly NGO for children like Akshaya Patra. This not-for-profit organisation established in 2000 with a vision of eradicating classroom hunger, has helped reduce school dropout rates in rural areas. The organisation, which started with just 1,500 Government school children, now, feeds over 1.4 million students across the country.  Online donations have been one of the main sources of income which allowed the organisation to serve those in need.

The Mid-Day Meal Programme run by Akshaya Patra has thus brought hopes to millions of children who are otherwise forced to sacrifice their education and take up huge responsibilities at a young age. The NGO for children, all these years, has been trying hard to ensure that no child remains hungry during school hours. The Foundation serves mid-day meals to students studying in different government and Government-aided schools in 10 states, mainly Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Assam.

Efforts taken up by the organisation have always received wide support and encouragement from different parts of the world.  Supporting the cause is not at all a difficult affair, particularly when the organisation accepts online donations.

Interestingly, these donations through online can bring some benefits to the donors also. Donating online through Akshaya Patra can help save the tax.  If you are an Indian, contributing just ₹ 500 can get you 100% tax exemption.  The Non-Governmental Organization for children also offers a wide range of options and flexibility to the donors. They can choose between sponsoring either one child a year by paying ₹ 750 or three children a year by paying ₹ 2250 or more children by paying more.

The children NGO like Akshaya Patra has always served as a bridge between underserved school children and generous people who want to make positive changes in the society.  Online donations have helped the organization to extend its reach to more and more hungry children every day. Donate today and help achieve 100 % literacy in India. Together we can end classroom hunger in India and better the country.

Akshaya Patra Celebrating 15-year Anniversary of Serving Mid-day Meal

It’s time to celebrate 15-year anniversary of The Akshaya Patra Foundation. It is time to celebrate sincere and dedicated service towards millions of underserved children. It is time to celebrate the 15-year impact of ‘unlimited food for education’. The Foundation began its journey of serving mid-day meal way back in June 2000. The Akshaya Patra Foundation’s birth springs from a story of compassion, which sowed the seeds for a higher purpose. It is the moving story of one encounter that left a lasting impact on His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada – One day, while looking out of a window at Mayapur, a village near Kolkata, Srila Prabhupada saw a group of children fighting with street dogs over scraps of food. This heart-breaking incident led to the resolve that: No one within a ten mile radius of our centre should go hungry. Taking this inspiration forward the Foundation has been striving towards the vision of ‘No child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger’.

The 15-year anniversary of the Foundation is a time to cherish the accomplishments and focus on the learning of past so many years. It is also a time when the NGO wants to acknowledge and cherish the support it has received from Government of India, various State Governments and corporate and individual philanthropists. During the service of more than a decade, Akshaya Patra has witnessed the potential of the school lunch programme in breaking the vicious cycle of poverty-hunger-illiteracy. It has also witnessed that this programme has been constructive in supporting underserved children who have the determination to achieve big in life, just that they need little support and care from the well-provided for ones.

Here is a summary of study conducted by The Akshaya Patra Foundation across its serving states in association with Sigma Research and Consulting Pvt. Ltd. in 2014 to understand and establish the need, impact and continuance of implementing the Mid-Day Meal Programme. The outcome of this study showed that classroom hunger was addressed significantly. It also showed that the free school lunch positively impacted attendance and enrolment across government schools. The recommended nutritional requirements of the programme were being fulfilled and the food was healthy and hygienic too. It was provided evidence that this programme addressed socialisation aspect among children where both parents and children confirmed consuming the served meal together, irrespective of caste, religion and economic status. As this trend was observed across all Akshaya Patra serving locations, it also signified that serving universal meal is indeed important.

As the Foundation gears up to celebrate 15-year anniversary, it also fathoms that continuous improvisation is a must to reach its mission of feeding five million children by 2020. Akshaya Patra provides a platform for all to know and get involved in this mission and thereby supporting to fulfil the ambitions of its beneficiaries. This anniversary lets pledge to provide mid-day meal and nourish the body and minds of young citizens. You can support the organization by getting involved with us. Know how you can support by visiting get-involve.

Akshaya Patra NGO Blog

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is one of the prominent NGOs in the mid-day meal sector of India operating since 2000. The NGO feeds more than 1.4 million children across the country covering 24 locations of 10 states. With the view to share information with supporters regarding the mid-day meal programme, its beneficiaries, its impact, global involvement, awareness campaigns and the like, Akshaya Patra initiated its official NGO blog. Unlike official website, non-profit organisation blog allows readers to comment and share their view regarding a particular topic. Though official website of any non-profit organisation is one of the most important communication requirements, the NGO blog however is more interactive than the official website which is more formal and unilateral.

The Akshaya Patra NGO blog provides information beyond the Foundation’s involvement in implementation of the mid-day meal programme. It shares information about the impact that the programme has had. It shares the latest development surrounding the programme. It also becomes a platform for the Foundation to share the dreams of its beneficiaries. The non-profit organisation blog also looks at global development with regards to community involvement and United Nations stride towards achieving Millennium Development Goals of achieving 100% literacy and elimination of hunger and poverty. Enjoy a good informative read on various topics at Akshaya Patra NGO blog.