PROBLEM

Pic: Children playing games during recess. 

Prior to the pandemic, though India had made strides in improving access to quality education, increasing elementary school enrollment and reducing the number of out-of-school children,  challenges did remain.  

Now, the situation has worsened. Poverty, undernourishment and  poor pedagogy had made a bad situation worse 

• 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 marginalized 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* – not achieving grade-appropriate learning levels.  

Akshaya Patra strives to eliminate classroom hunger. The Mid-Day meal program also encourages a child to attend school as they are guaranteed one wholesome meal every day that they attend. By feeding them one wholesome meal a day, we give them the nourishment and motivation they need to pursue an education for a better future. It is Akshaya Patra's endeavour to reach out to every child at the grassroots level of society.

FOOD FOR EDUCATION

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. Therefore the Rotary Club of Bombay in partnership with Akshaya Patra is building a centralised kitchen in the Palghar District of Maharashtra. This will benefit students from low-income homes that go to government schools in the area.

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

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

Pic: Students enjoying their wholesome Mid-Day Meal.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

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

Pic: Students enjoying their delicious mid-day meal.

HELP ME RAISE INR 45000 AND SUPPORT 30 CHILDREN FOR A YEAR

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

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

FEEDBACK FROM BENEFICIARIES

Pic: Child waiting for his Mid-Day Meal.

ABOUT ME:

My name is Rtn. Rakesh Sharma. I am a 45-years-old and I am a member of the Rotary Club of Bombay.

Imagine travelling to school, studying for long hours together, playing in the sun, all on an empty stomach. Frightening isn’t it? Just skipping one meal a day would be difficult for most of us. We wouldn’t be able to function too well throughout the rest of the day. Fortunately, we have the luxury of having three meals a day, keeping us healthy and strong, both mentally and physically.

However, many children all over our country do not have this luxury. The happiness they experience by just receiving one meal in a day is unmeasurable. Now imagine if I can bring that happiness to another child! Through this campaign, I have the opportunity to convert the dreams of many children into a happy reality.

Please support my campaign and let us together contribute to the happiness of these children. Most children drop out of school because they don't get enough to eat resulting in fatigue and illness. It's also a reason for them to not go to school. The “Akshaya Patra's mid-day meal program”, not only motivates students to go to school but also ensures that they remain healthy and continue with their education.

It might seem like ‘just one meal’ to us, but it is truly much more than that to them. In addition, there is the joy we get when we help and support this program.

So, what are we waiting for! Please do support this campaign and bring a smile to another child with your small act of kindness. Help spread this message on your social media platforms so that more have the opportunity to share in the care of these children and donate to this noble cause.

CASE STUDY

WORLD'S LARGEST MID-DAY MEAL PROGRAM

AKSHAYA PATRA KITCHEN - QUALITY & 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.

Centralized Mega Kitchens 

Employing a semi-automated, intensive operating model ensures high-quality food. The programme has incorporated a centralized 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 decentralized 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.  

COST SHEET

OUR PARTNER

Since 2000, Akshaya Patra has been concerting 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

Under this program, government schools around these kitchens would be benefitted. This will impact children studying at schools in Palghar.

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 & 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 NGO (this takes between 2 to 4 months usually after the funds are raised & transferred to them) telling me who benefitted 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 SMS and EMAIL alert to all the funders - i.e. to you. Click on the link on the email and you can read about who benefitted. 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 20729 children in 133 schools across Maharashtra (Mumbai, Thane, Vidarbha, etc.). 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 the ones from schools in Maharashtra (Mumbai, Thane, Vidarbha, etc.)