THE BACKGROUND:

India has experienced significant economic development over the past two decades, yet many are still struggling to provide food for their families. For too many children in India, hunger is a barrier to education, keeping millions locked in a cycle of poverty. The pandemic has resulted in more students dropping out due to lack of funds.  

• Out of 100 students, 29% of girls and boys drop out of school before completing the full cycle of elementary education, and often they are the most marginalised children.  

• Around 50% of adolescents do not complete secondary education, while approximately 20 million children do not attend pre-school.  

• Half of the primary school-going children – which constitutes nearly 50 million children– are not achieving grade-appropriate learning levels.  

THE SOLUTION: THE FOOD FOR EDUCATION INITIATIVE

Would you be able to study and learn if hunger was your classroom companion?

Classroom hunger affects children’s ability to learn and grow. To solve this challenge, Akshaya Patra began the Food for Education initiative.

Akshaya Patra strives to eliminate classroom hunger and aims at countering malnutrition and support the right to education of socio-economically disadvantaged children. By feeding them one wholesome meal a day, students get the nourishment and motivation they need to pursue an education for a better future.

All it costs is INR 1500 to feed a child for a year.

Children need nutrients so they can grow, develop and focus on learning instead of thinking about the food they need. Ultimately, they need to be able to concentrate in the classroom so they can succeed in school and be prepared to enter the workforce as adults.

Pic: Students enjoying their wholesome Mid-Day Meal in school.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME:

Akshaya Patra is focused on eliminating classroom hunger and attracting more children (enrolment) to schools and ensuring they stay in school (reduce dropout rate) by feeding a filling, nutritious mid-day meal every school day. The Mid-Day meal serves as an incentive for children to get proper education, improve socialisation among children, and empower women through employment opportunities.

Pic: The nutritious meal served in school brings a big smile and positive change in the life of the students.

FUND GENEROUSLY

IF YOU FUND,

• INR 3000, you impact 2 students for a year.

• INR 6000, you impact 4 students for a year.

• INR 12000, you impact 8 students for a year.

ALL FUNDING HAS 80G BENEFITS.

Pic: The nutritious meal served in school brings a big smile and positive change in the life of the students.

ABOUT ME AND THIS CAMPAIGN:

My name is Diya. I am 16-years-old and a Grade 11 student at Centre Point School, Katol Road, Nagpur.

I’ve always been someone who is curious about people, ideas, and the world around me. I like understanding why people think the way they do, why businesses work the way they do, and how small ideas can turn into something meaningful. I’m currently a commerce student, but I’ve never really wanted to put myself into just one box. I’m interested in psychology, neuropsychology, business, creativity, and social impact, and I’m still exploring where these interests might take me.

People who know me would probably describe me as someone who has a lot of ideas and is not afraid to speak up about them. I enjoy communicating, meeting new people, taking on responsibilities, and figuring things out even when I don’t have all the answers. Being a head of Vision and Planning at a foundation has also taught me that having an idea is one thing, but being able to communicate it, plan it, and actually make it happen is what matters.

My long-term goal is to build a career that combines knowledge with real-world impact. I want to work in a field where I can understand people deeply and use that understanding to genuinely help them.

At the same time, I’m still a teenager figuring myself out. I make mistakes, overthink things, get excited about random ideas, and sometimes change my mind. But I think that’s part of growing. I don’t want to be remembered as someone who simply achieved things. I want to be someone who was curious, capable, approachable, and actually made a difference.

THE IMPACT:

WORLD'S LARGEST MID-DAY MEAL PROGRAM:

AKSHAYA PATRA KITCHEN - QUALITY AND HYGIENE:

From preparation to delivery of mid-day meals, the Akshaya Patra kitchens operate on a daily basis, keeping in mind the two most important elements: hygiene and quality.

Centralised Mega Kitchens :

Employing a semi-automated, intensive operating model ensures high-quality food. The programme has incorporated a centralised approach, backed by technology-driven processes such as enhanced roti-making machines, steam-operated rice and dal cauldrons, heavy-duty vegetable cutters, sophisticated rice and vegetable cleaning machines, etc. 

Decentralized Kitchens

The programme also incorporates a decentralised mode of operation to cater to the needs of the local community and schools in remote areas.  

The unique feature of this model is that quite often, the women cooking the meals are the mothers of the children we reach out to.  

EXPENSES BREAKDOWN:

OUR PARTNER:

Since 2000, Akshaya Patra has been concentrating all its efforts towards providing fresh and nutritious meals to children on every single school day. We are continuously leveraging technology to multiply our reach. The state-of-the-art kitchens have become a subject of study and have attracted curious visitors from around the world.

LOCATION MAP:

POWER OF A HOT MEAL:

TAX BENEFITS:

Funding for this campaign is eligible for tax breaks as Akshaya Patra Foundation, as an NGO, is a registered trust and you can avail of benefits under section 80G of the IT Act. 

FEEDBACK/CAMPAIGN UPDATES FOR YOU:

To ensure that there is complete transparency, I shall get a report from the NGO (this takes between 2 to 4 months usually after the funds are raised and transferred to them) telling me who benefited from the funding. The details will then be posted from Akshaya Patra on the UPDATES section of my campaign. As soon as I post an update, the platform will send an EMAIL alert to all the funders - i.e. to you. Click on the link in the email, and you can read about who benefited. That's transparent, right.

The below image is an example of the FEEDBACK FORMAT that we will be sharing with all my funders.

SCHOOLS WHERE WE PLAN TO DISTRIBUTE THE MID-DAY MEAL:

The Mid-day meal will be distributed to 47394 children in 549 schools across Maharashtra. We can provide mid-day meals for more students if we raise more funds. This will help bring more smiles and cheers to students and help us achieve the Foundation’s Vision that ‘’No child in India shall be deprived of Education, because of hunger ".

For this campaign, the beneficiary students will be from schools in Maharashtra (Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Panvel, Pune and Thane)