Work for Children this Republic Day

Sixty-seven years have passed since the Constitution of India came into effect and the sovereign democratic republic started its journey towards development.  However, the nation is yet to reach its destination and is still developing.

Definitely there is a reason for this. When India is facing several issues like population explosion, dowry system, poverty, religious discrimination, inflation how can it concentrate on development?

These are only some of the several issues India is struggling to solve today and to start with, the country should concentrate on its children and the issues surrounding them namely illiteracy, malnutrition and child labour. This is important because children are the future citizens of a nation and focusing on them will help speed up its development.

Illiteracy

As Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” a quality education can help transform a child’s life, decrease the wage gap that exists between genders, end child marriage, early pregnancy, infant mortality, maternal mortality and finally, bring a positive change on the nation.

However, in India literacy rate stands at 74.4 per cent. Achieving 100 per cent literacy can be a challenging task considering the rate of children dropout of schools currently.  Nearly 47.4 per cent children studying in class I-X drop-out of schools in India. The reasons for this occurrence vary from lack of some children’s interest in studies to their family’s poor economic condition.

To tackle illiteracy, Government of India has launched several schemes. The Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) 2000-2001, the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao and the Maharashtra Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MREGS) are some of them.

Apart from these, several initiatives like Teach for India and Teach India operate across the nation to end illiteracy in India.

Similarly, efforts taken by some individuals like Mukti Gupta (‘Help Us Help Them’-  school on wheels), Ritu Abbhi who is trying to give quality education to underprivileged children in Noida and Pranjal Dubey who sold his house to start a college for rural youth in Madhya Pradesh, fighting illiteracy are also praiseworthy.  

The Akshaya Patra Foundation has also helped improve school education in India. The NGO delivers freshly cooked meals to underserved children in India so that no child misses school due to hunger. The organisation, till today, has helped over 1.4 million students across 10 states in India.

A study conducted by AC Nielson on the impact of Akshaya Patra Mid-Day Meal Programme found that it had helped increase school attendance, improved nutritional status of children, helped improve enrolment and decreased drop-out rates.

Malnutrition

Nearly 39 per cent of children under five in India are stunted and nearly 20 per cent are wasted. These figures bring concern as malnutrition affects physical - mental development of a child, damages his or her immunity, increases a child’s risk of developing diseases and even sometimes leads to early death.

In order to tackle malnutrition, the Indian Government has introduced several schemes including the Rajiv Gandhi National Creche Scheme, Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDM), Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), Reproductive Child Health (RCH-II), National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and Special Nutrition Programme (SNP).  Additionally, to run these schemes effectively, the Government has appointed frontline workers like Anganwadi Workers (AWW), The Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANM) and Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANM).

Apart from the Government, several organisations and International agencies like Child in Need Institute (CINI), The Akshaya Patra Foundation, World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF work towards ending malnutrition in India.

The mid-day meals served by Akshaya Patra are rich in all the nutrients required for children’s growth and thus have been known to fight malnutrition.

Child Labour

Child labour can slow down a nation’s progress and India has been trying to put an end to child labour since independence.  However, still about 43.53 lakh children aged between five and 14 are trapped in different fields including mining, quarrying, domestic service or agriculture.

When children start working at an early age, they miss out school and thus contribute to nation’s illiteracy rate. Additionally, starting physical work at a young age can leave a lasting impact on children’s health and make them more vulnerable to diseases.

The Factories Act (1948), The Mines Act (1952), The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act (1976) The Child Labour Act (Prohibition and Regulation 1986) and The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (2009) have helped fight child labour in India. Additionally, several organisations like the International Labour Organization, Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), M. Venkatarangaiya Foundation (MVF) and Pratham work to end child labour in India.

Also, the work of Akshaya Patra in ending child labour and bringing children back to school is really noteworthy.  Millions of children have returned to school because of the nutritious mid-day meals provided by the organisation.

Like these organisations and the Government, all of us have the responsibility to save our children from these issues and secure their future.

Getting involved in the good work is now very easy. You can volunteer in the different activities involved in the making of mid-day meal, fundraise with us or help us reach more children through donations.

Just ₹750 can feed a child a year.  This Republic Day, donate to the Mid-Day Meal Programme of Akshaya Patra and show your support and commitment to the future generation.

Akshaya Patra Annual Report 2014-15

Annual report 2015 of The Akshaya Patra Foundation, a leading NGO dedicated to underprivileged children, is out. The Annual Report 2014-15 titled ‘Giving Every Dream A Chance’ mainly focuses on the theme, ‘The Making of a Dream,’ and all the main procedures which is undertaken by the organisation to  help children get closer to their dreams.

The Akshaya Patra Annual Report, in a way is an effort to highlight the role of a nutritious meal on children. It also provides a solid evidence to show that how the opportunity to eat healthy along with a structured guidance or education helps children follow their dreams. 

In an effort to prove this, three young beneficiaries of Akshaya Patra were enrolled into a mentorship programme and were trained according to their field of interest. The whole session including the progress was documented. We can see that the initiative was a great success.

One of the most interesting parts of Annual Report of the NGO is its design and presentation. The cover page of the annual report showing the image of a school boy gazing into the starlit sky is powerful and conveys the message clearly.

The NGO Annual Report is presented under 8 topics namely:

• Introduction
• At the Heart of the Dream
• What Drives the Dream
• 2014-15 in a Wrap
• The Dream Progresses
• Management Message
• Dream Stories
• Previous Annual Reports  

The best part of the Annual Report is Dream Stories, where the organisation tells stories of three 14-year-old young stars- Shivu, who wants to become an astronomer, Manjula who is keen on following her dreams to become an actress and Shekar, who wants to become a chef.

Apart from these, the report also gives an insight into the organisation’s progress, mainly its Annual Financial Report, awards and recognitions received by it during the previous year.  

This is just a short description of our Annual Report. To get a detailed account of our work, you can download our Annual Report.

Empower the Youth this National Youth Day

“A few heart-whole, sincere, and energetic men and women can do more in a year than a mob in a century.”-          

                                                                                                                                                                            -  Swami Vivekananda

These words may be more than 100 years old, but are still powerful enough to evoke anyone’s thoughts.  The great thinker–philosopher Swami Vivekananda always believed in youth and tried to inspire them through his powerful writings and lectures, that is why he is considered as Youth Icon of India and his birthday 12 January is observed as National Youth Day in India every year.

A special day for the youth is especially important in a country like India where about 65 percent of the population is under age 35.

Additionally, future of a country primarily lies in the young generation.  So, in order to improve our country’s growth, we should primarily focus on our youth and try to inculcate ethics and social responsibility in them from a very young age. This is especially important because moral values are one of the most important factors which help build a strong generation and ethical responsibility is an essential quality which helps the youth differentiate between what is wrong and right.

Well, like ethics, social responsibility is equally important.

What is social responsibility?

There is no doubt, it is the readiness to act for the benefit of the society and only a socially responsible person will think about the nation and its well-being. A socially responsible youth can help fight terrorism, reduce crimes and solve issues like child hunger, poverty and illiteracy. Most importantly, a socially responsible youth can speed up the development of a country.

Indian Government has always given importance to the youth and youth development was the main aim behind establishment of the National Skill Development Corporation in 2008. Make in India (2014) and Skill India scheme (July 15, 2015) are some of the other Youth development programmes in India. These initiatives are particularly important as India is all set to become the youngest country in the world. It is estimated that by 2020, more than 500 million Indians will be below 25 years.

So, when the nation is celebrating the 153rd birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, it is our duty to transform Vivekananda’s teachings into a reality.

Vivekananda’s teachings on life and the basic qualities required to make it meaningful like self-confidence, self-respect, dedication selflessness and teamwork are so strong that they continue to inspire the young generation of India even today.

This National Youth Day, help empower the country’s young generation!

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The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an NGO in India providing food for government and government aided school children through mid-day meal programme across 10 states. The organization is currently feeding 1.4 million children every day.

Meet the Top Charities for Children

Children are gifts. However, unfortunately, we haven’t either succeeded in taking care of our gifts or protecting them. Millions of children still live in streets, sleep on empty stomachs, miss out schools and work in mines and other dangerous environments to make a living.

Plight of these children has always been a major source of concern lately and millions of charitable organisations across the world today work round the clock to improve the situation. Services provided by some of them are really praiseworthy and have also captured global attention.

Following are the top five non-profit organisations in the world as provided by top non-profits, an online platform:

•          Human Rights Watch (HRW)
•         Museum of Modern Art
•          United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
•          American Museum of Natural History
•         Doctors Without Borders

Similarly, the World of Children Award - a global recognition and funding program, has been honouring the most effective change makers (individuals and organisations) for children in the world who have helped improve lives of vulnerable children across the world.

Following are the 2015 World of Children Award Honourees:

•          2015 Education Award - Miriam Mason-Sesay  of the EducAid Sierra Leone
•     2015 Youth Award -Winnifred Selby  of the EPF Educational Empowerment Initiative and Nicholas Lowinger  of Gotta Have Sole Foundation
•         2015 Health Award - Amalia García Moreno of Casa de la Amistad par Niños con Cáncer
•         2015 Humanitarian Award - Catalina Escobar  of Juan Felipe Gómez Escobar Foundation

These are only a few names, apart from them, thousands of charitable organisations across the world work for children’s welfare. Some of the charities for children include Child Empowerment International, Invisible Children, War Child, Maiti Nepal and The Hunger Project.  

Charities for Children in India

In India, activities of charitable organisations are mainly concentrated in education, culture, development, housing, environment and health.  Between 2002 and 2003, 1.2 million to 4 million charities were functioning in India, according to a study conducted by the Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) and the Johns Hopkins University, USA.  Apart from this, India is also home to about 31 lakh Non-Governmental Organizations.

Some of the charities for children in India include:

•          Baaldan
•          Cry
•          Dream a Dream
•          ChildLine India
•          Child in Need Institute
•          Deaf child India
•          Make A Difference 

Another name which has always received appreciation across the country is The Akshaya Patra Foundation. Dedicated to underserved school children since 2000, the Non-Governmental Organization currently feeds over 1.4 million children from 10,845 schools across 10 states in India.

These charitable organizations certainly have helped improve lives of children in different parts of the world. But, looks like, we still have to wait a bit longer to reach our final destination.

Finding a solution is very important as development of a country depends up on its citizens and children are the future citizens. So come forward, give the children a good start. For sure, it will bring a positive impact on our country.  You can start by getting involved with one of the reputed Non-Governmental Organizations or just make a contribution to help children in need.

Digitalising School Education in India

The education system in India has undergone drastic changes over the past few years.  Today, more children are getting the opportunity to attend school, to access latest technology and to follow their dreams. Enactment of laws like the Right to Education Act (RTE) and several programmes like the mid-day meals in schools, a food for education programme run by the Government and some NGOs have helped in this aspect.

Though we are yet to attain 100% literacy, digitalisation has conquered us completely and schooling in India, no doubt, is the best example to prove this. The traditional types of classrooms using chalk and blackboard are slowly disappearing and are replaced by digital and virtual classrooms.

 

Today, many schools in India have introduced the ‘smart class’ for their students and have started teaching with the help of LCD screens and overhead projectors.

Why Digital Classrooms? Know the Benefits

The introduction of digital classrooms has helped both teachers and students alike.  The concept of digital learning has altogether changed the traditional way of memorising lessons; and it has taught students to apply their lessons in real life situations.  

With the digital classrooms, learning and teaching have become simple, easy and collaborative. Some benefits include:

·         Helps boost interest in learning

·         Clarity: helps convey  and present ideas and concepts more accurately and effectively

·         Fun and interactive: helped avoid one-way type of communication in classrooms. Students, no longer, have to sit in classrooms and listen to long monologue lectures delivered by their teachers.

·         Easy to assess and track student’s progress

·         No boundaries to learning: It takes the children out from the four walls of their classroom

·         Improves student’s analytical skills

·         Reduces the need to buy and maintain books or lecture notes in schools

Apart from smart class, some other projects in India which helped digital education in India include the free laptop scheme, Sugata Mitra’s  ‘Schools in a Cloud’ and the Aakash tablet project .

Though, smart class and these projects have made learning an enjoyable experience to students, definitely adoption of technology as a method of teaching has some disadvantages. Some of them include:

·         Books and reading habits are disappearing

·         Affects the ability to communicate

·         Expensive

·         Teachers need training to handle it

·         Difficult to maintain

We have experienced classroom learning and digital learning. The next in the education system in India is virtual learning where children can access knowledge at the comfort of their homes.

Although digitalising learning in India is a fabulous advancement, the need of the hour is giving education opportunities to underserved children in India.

No doubt, food for education programmes like mid-day meals in schools has helped improve education system in India. However, still millions of children in India miss school due to poverty. The best way to solve this is supporting food for education programmes. Support mid-day meals in schools and empower our little citizens. With more underserved children coming to school, they too can one day enjoy the benefits of digital learning.