The smiles on the faces of children, their chitter-chatter and the eyes that constantly look out for the blue delivery vans, are what keeps The Akshaya Patra Foundation going. What started as feeding 1,500 children in five Government schools of Bengaluru, Karnataka has grown to be recognised as the pioneer mid-day meal NGOs in India. The Foundation feeds the children who hail from challenging socio-economic backgrounds with nutritious school meals.
The
foundation feeds children studying in 19,039 Government and Government-aided schools
from its centralised and decentralised kitchens. As a part of the Mid-Day Meal Programme, locally
palatable meals are served in 52 locations spread across 12 States and 2 Union
Territories of India.
To
know more about Akshaya Patra’s state-of-the-art kitchens, click here.
Akshaya Patra operates on a
Public-Private Partnership model and has fed 1.8 million children every day
without a break for the last 20 years. With the vision that ‘No child in India shall be deprived of
education because of hunger,’ the organisation feeds with support from the
Government of India, State Governments, corporate partners and philanthropic
partners.
By
implementing the Mid-Day Meal Programme,
it aims to bring change by:
- ·
Improving the nutritional status of children
- ·
Helping children to attend school regularly
- ·
Providing physical and cognitive development
However,
this year’s anniversary is a tad bit different.
A mandate was issued for the closure of schools to curb the spread of COVID-19
amongst children. With schools being shut, mid-day meals were not being served.
As a result of which, nutritional levels of children dropped drastically and
they significantly lost weight. To continue its service towards children, The
Akshaya Patra Foundation initiated the Happiness Kits Programme.
To
read about Akshaya Patra’s COVID-19 Relief Service, click here.
Happiness
Kits are distributed to every mid-day meal beneficiary to support their health,
immunity, hygiene and education. Every child receives glucose biscuits,
jaggery, peanuts, ragi flour and spices to support their health and boost
immunity. To encourage hygiene practices in children, every mid-day meal
beneficiary is provided with a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap and sanitary pack
(for girls). Educational supplies are also provided to each school child that
comprises of activity workbooks and stationeries.
To
know about Akshaya Patra’s Happiness Kits initiatives and feed the children,
click here.
You
can be a part of the 20th year anniversary
celebrations by joining Akshaya Patra
in its feeding initiatives. Extend your support to feed the needy people of
India and upkeep health and education of mid-day meal beneficiaries.
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