Akshaya Patra – An NGO in Karnataka

 Over the last two decades, The Akshaya Patra Foundation has been operating in Karnataka, feeding nutritious school meals to children in government schools to address classroom hunger and support their nutrition and education. The write-up traces Akshaya Patra’s journey from a simple idea to its rise as one of the most-admired NGOs in Karnataka, serving nutritious mid-day meals to more than 3.5 lakh children in 3,000+ schools in the state.

The Beginning

Karnataka has always had a significant place in the history of Akshaya Patra. It is here that the Foundation started the school feeding initiative 23 years ago. A simple story of compassion laid the foundation of Akshaya Patra, prompting its chairman, Shri Madhu Pandit Dasa to start the feeding of 1,500 children in five schools in Bengaluru. The Supreme Court mandate on the provision of cooked meals to children in government schools served as an impetus to the initiative. With the continued support from the government and many like-minded people coming on board, it grew from strength to strength to become one of the largest (NGO-run) school meal programmes in the world.

While the journey started as an NGO in Bengaluru with the feeding of 1,500 children in the city, today Akshaya Patra serves more than 2 million children in 67 locations across 15 states and 2 union territories every school day.

Akshaya Patra in Karnataka

In 2003, the Foundation signed an MoU with the Government of Karnataka for Akshara Dasoha. It thus became the first organisation to establish a collaboration based on the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model with the government for the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Programme (now rechristened the PM POSHAN Abhiyaan). Its unit in Bengaluru (HK Hill) was its first kitchen not just in Karnataka but in India. Over the years, it has set up 7 more kitchens in the state, taking the total number of centralised kitchens to 8 with a cumulative feeding capacity of over 6 lakhs.

Today, as the implementing partner for the flagship school feeding programme, Akshaya Patra serves over 3.5 lakh children in Karnataka through its 8 state-of-the-art centralised kitchens.

Menu in Accordance to the Local Palate

As a practice, Akshaya Patra menu across the country is tailored to match the local palate with adherence to regional acceptability. Therefore, the Foundation’s menu in Karnataka comprises local favourites such as bisi bele bath, sambar, rasam, moong dal or vermicelli paysam, sweet pongal and avalakki, as well as items like jeera rice, dal, Bengal gram usli, chana sabji, etc. The focus is on implementing the programme with utmost quality and care and delivering maximum nutrition to children.

Food Assistance in Karnataka

Akshaya Patra—as an NGO conscious of its social responsibility—has strived to support the children and communities in Karnataka throughout its two decades in the state; be it the MDM Programme or food assistance efforts as a part of the humanitarian relief during natural disasters.

When Kodagu (Coorg) was flooded in 2018, Akshaya Patra set up makeshift kitchens in Kushalnagar and Madikeri to serve meals to the affected people. In 2019-20, when northern Karnataka was affected by floods, the Foundation’s Hubballi unit responded by supplying food to the affected people. More recently, when unprecedented rains left several localities in Bengaluru waterlogged, the organisation stepped in to provide food to those affected.

Similarly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the schools closed due to the outbreak, Akshaya Patra utilised its kitchen infrastructure to undertake food assistance in the state. Working with the Government of Karnataka, civic bodies, corporate partners and other NGOs, the Foundation served over 62 million meals to vulnerable populations in the form of cooked food and grocery kits.

In Raichur, Yadgir and Bengaluru, Akshaya Patra distributed Shakti Kits among pregnant women and nursing mothers to support their nutritional needs during the pandemic. (Raichur and Yadgir are among the 115 districts chosen for the ‘Transformation of Aspirational Districts’ initiative launched by the Hon’ble PM, Shri Narendra Modi.)

When special Shramik trains were arranged for migrants to go back to their hometowns, Akshaya Patra served Meals-on-the-Go kits to passengers in Bengaluru to ease their journey.

Furthermore, the Foundation also conducted an Incentivised Vaccination Drive in Bengaluru to help overcome vaccine hesitancy among the marginalised population. As a part of this drive, people were provided Raksha Kits—relief kits with essential groceries for 21 meal servings—post-vaccination to support them by making up for their lost work day.

National Endeavour for Student Transformation (NEST)

Akshaya Patra started the National Endeavour for Student Transformation (NEST) in an effort to go beyond the meals to facilitate the overall development of children through a series of need-based interventions. In Karnataka, it introduced the School Rejuvenation Programme to provide children a conducive environment at schools with the focus on making the most of mid-day meals. The initiative has been implemented in 3 schools in Bengaluru.

The Digital Education Programme to bridge the digital divide and give children access to curated content has benefited over 1,600 children. Similarly, more than 6,500 scholarships have been awarded as a part of the AVSAR Scholarship Programme to provide financial aid to deserving children.

Akshaya Patra’s feeding and non-feeding programmes in Karnataka are a validation of its commitment to various developmental programmes initiated by the government. That no conversation about NGOs in Karnataka is complete without a hat tip to the Foundation, is a validation of its work in the state. With a two-decade-long history of serving, it is no surprise that the sighting of an Akshaya Patra delivery vehicle always brings about a smile on the face of children and adults alike—be it the capital city of Bengaluru, the mining belt of Ballari or the coastal city of Mangaluru.

Light the Lives of Children this Diwali

 

Happy Diwali from The Akshaya Patra Foundation! As a part of your festivities, contribute to feed underprivileged children with breakfast and lunch in their schools. Support their health & education so that they overcome the evil of hunger & illiteracy.

Celebrate Dhanteras with a tinge of goodness

 

Dhanteras is a much-awaited festival for Hindus in India as it is called the day of wealth. The word ‘Dhan’ means wealth and ‘Teras’ means the thirteenth day of the Hindu moon cycle. This auspicious day falls on the thirteenth day in the month of ‘Karthika maasa’ on the day of Karthika Krishna Paksha as per the Hindu calendar. This day marks the beginning of the five-day-long festival of Diwali or Deepavali.

Dhanteras or Dhantrayodashi is believed to be the day Goddess Lakshmi emerged as a result of the churning of the ocean (Samudra Manthan). On this day, people pray to the Goddess for a long life filled with wealth, health and prosperity of their whole family. It is a general ritual of buying new things and purchasing valuables suggesting that the Goddess has entered the home herself.

Significance of Dhanteras

Several stories revolve around why Dhanteras is celebrated and what the significance is in different parts of the country. One popular one is that of Dhantrayodashi. Apart from this, there is a story of celebrating Yama Trayodashi. According to a legend, King Hima’s son who was 16 years old, was predicted of dying from a snake bite after four days of his wedding. The prince’s wife did not let him sleep on the third night, lit lamps and laid out all the jewels, gold coins, etc. outside her husband’s sleep chamber. The young princess kept him awake by singing songs and narrating stories. That night, when Lord Yama came in the form of a snake, the light from the jewels and the lamps blinded him. He wasn’t able to enter the chamber, hence sat on the pile of coins and listened to the stories and songs. And, the next morning, he went away without taking Hima’s son. 

According to Bhagavatha Purana, Lord Dhanvatari – the originator of Ayurveda appeared with Amrit – the elixir of life, during the churning of the ocean, on this very day.

This day holds more significance as a day where new replaces old.

Similarly, we should clear our minds of all the negativity and fill ourselves with good thoughts and kindness to either donate to feed the children who are hungry or to take care of homeless people. Thousands of people and little children stay hungry trying to make ends meet. For them, every single day is a day of struggle between food and other necessities.  

To support such parents who struggle to feed and educate their children, NGOs sponsor their meals and education with the help of online donations or in-kind donations from their supporters. These non-profit organisations implement various programmes that are a part of the Government’s beneficial schemes like the Mid-DayMeal Scheme under the PM Poshan Abhiyaan for children and the Anganwadi scheme for pregnant and lactating mothers under the Integrated Child Development Services. 

One such not-for-profit organisation is The Akshaya Patra Foundation which works on a Public-Private-Partnership model to provide mid-day meals to school-going children under the PM POSHAN Abhiyaan. With various individual donors, corporate partners who donate to feed the children and strong support from various Governments, the NGO cooks and serves locally palatable meals to eliminate classroom hunger.

Akshaya Patra is a 21-year-old NGO that feeds meals to 20,10,516 children in 22,367 schools across 65 locations in 14 states & 2 union territories of India. 

What can you achieve by supporting Akshaya Patra?

By contributing to Akshaya Patra to provide nutritious meals to children studying in Government and Government-aided schools, you support in:

• ·         Nourishing children and taking care of their nutritional status
• ·         Giving children a chance to get educated by giving them a reason to come to school
• ·         Helping children concentrate in class so that they improve their scores
• ·         Reducing the chances of school dropout rates
• ·         Giving children the hope that they too can dream to achieve something they thought they could never achieve.

Can you imagine the smiles on their faces when they get these meals and also get an opportunity to achieve more in life? It is priceless!

So this Dhanteras, make way for new thoughts. Wish the best for children by giving them a future filled with health and dreams.

May you and your family be blessed with abundance!

Happy Dhanteras!

Akshaya Patra reaches a new milestone!

 

Experience the Joy of Giving this Daan Utsav

Atithi Devo Bhava is a practice in Indian society where a guest is treated with the utmost respect. The hosts provide them with the best experience while they spend time with each other, by offering them food, clothes, etc. It is a form of social service that has existed since ancient times. Giving is considered to be auspicious and people are also aware of the bliss that comes with being helpful to others’ needs.

To continue the age-old tradition of giving to the underprivileged or people who need some form of help, Daan Utsav is observed from 2-8 October every year. This week has been celebrated since the time it was first started in 2009 and was called the Joy of Giving week. It is a perfect time to fill someone’s life with loads of happiness and get content in return for doing good for the underprivileged. It is a week of enthusiasm where people from all walks of life come together for a single cause – GIVING.

Daan Utsav is celebrated in many places across India like Bhuj, Sancoale, Aluva, Mysuru, Imphal, Jammu and Sukma. 

What Daan Utsav for different people

Individuals, corporates, the Government, non-profit organisations, institutions, volunteers, communities and the general public. To raise awareness about this week, celebrities also join hands with one or the other NGO in India and take out time to play, dance and sing with people from challenging backgrounds during press releases, inaugurations, book launches, school annual functions, association parties, etc.

No matter who it is, life is all about giving and even domestic workers, street vendors and washerwomen give when they have or receive. Nobody wants to get left behind, everyone wants to receive the endless joy of giving. So is the case with school children too. Donation campaigns are conducted in schools where they bring old books, stationeries, etc.

There is no better time to turn your kindness into actions of donating resources, money, time, food or time or skills to the have-nots, than this festival of philanthropy!

Donate to NGOs on Daan Utsav

During Daan Utsav, NGOs conduct collection camps, on various events that:

• organise therapies for children with special needs
• train youth to get skill-based jobs
• raise funds to train unemployed people
• feed the hungry and malnourished people
• bring various opportunities in all fields to marginalised communities.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a trusted NGO in India that has been serving nutritious meals to school children coming from low-income sections for the last 21 years. What started off with a kitchen that fed 1,500 children in Bengaluru, is now 65 kitchens strong that feeds close to 2 million children every day. Apart from its flagship programme that will feed the hungry school children in Government schools, it also takes care of the nutrition of pregnant and lactating mothers as nutrition is of utmost importance during the early years of child development.

Apart from running the Anganwadi Programme, the Foundation runs other programmes that you can support this Daan Utsav.

PM Poshan Abhiyaan

To eliminate classroom hunger, help children focus and cater to their nutritional requirements, Akshaya Patra implements the school feeding programme under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN Abhiyaan, formerly known as the Mid-Day Meal Programme).

 Anganwadi Feeding Programme

Akshaya Patra provides adequate nutrition to nursing and would-be mothers so that they and their children are well nourished right during the early days of life. Under this programme, children under the age group of 6 years get daily nourishment in the form of meals.

Homeless Mothers Feeding Programme

Homeless mothers are wives or mothers who have lost their husbands and are not living with their families; they are either abandoned by their first circle or by their children and do not have a place to live. Akshaya Patra’s Homeless Mothers Feeding Programme provides meals to these women who are trying to make ends meet. The programme is currently active in Vrindavan.

Breakfast Programme

The Indian Medical Association and the Indian Academy of Pediatrics have advocated for a free breakfast programme where students will be provided with a healthy breakfast each school day. Akshaya Patra’s pilot Breakfast Programme was initiated in Hosur, Tamil Nadu in 2017. The breakfast offered in school acts as an incentive for children to enrol and attend regularly.

Your contribution matters

Become a part of Akshaya Patra’s donor family by choosing to support a programme of your choice. Donate online to make a difference in the lives of people in need.

This Daan Utsav, pull someone out of distress.
Set an example with your generosity.
Lift the lives of underprivileged people.

Five benefits of contributing to an NGO

 

Reducing Child Malnutrition with healthy meals

Malnourishment is a silent killer that does not spare even the lives of little children. It is one of the major causes of death of children under the age of five.

Malnutrition is the cause of death of close to half the children in Asia and Africa below five years.

Insufficient nutrition increases susceptibility to various infections and leads to delayed recovery. Three important factors that estimate malnourishment are stunting (low height with respect to age), wasting (low weight for height) and underweight (low weight for age).

Malnourishment in childhood reduces the quality of adulthood

The first 1000 days of a child’s life decide if the child is more likely to be healthy or suffer from malnutrition. This means to say that, poor nutrition of a mother during her pregnancy could lead to a stunted childhood. These stunted children tend to be shorter and weaker. They often have impaired mental development and also tend to perform low in school making them more likely to take up low-payment jobs. Hence, they are unable to provide for their children.

Thus it is imperative to work towards nourishing the present generation of children so that they can contribute directly to the health of the next one. 

According to the World Bank, close to 1/3^rd of stunted children (below 5 years), live in India.

PM POSHAN Abhiyaan (earlier known as the MidDay Meal Scheme) is one intervention that could reduce these numbers drastically.

           

Let us take the example of person ‘X’ from a low-income family. He is a daily-wage worker whose salary or savings is not enough to take care of his wife and children. To become a helping hand to the family’s financial situation, he sends his child to work so that he can get some more money for the family’s food. He does not give a choice to his child to choose.

 

Now, let’s think of another situation where ‘Y’ is a daily-wage worker who is struggling to make ends meet to feed his family of three (along with his wife and child). They are aware of the Government’s MDM scheme and send their child to a nearby Government school with the thought that at least the child will be able to enjoy one proper, wholesome meal once a day. By doing so, they are playing a major role in the child’s education too. These school meals become a reason for the child to attend school without missing even a single day.

 

This is the power of school meals.

Midday meals (MDM) served as a part of this programme not only give an incentive for parents to send their children to school but also become a reason for children to get educated for the long term.

Providing nutrition; food for children

Mid-day meals become a source of nutrition in children. They help in their physical and cognitive development. How?

Here’s how:

•         School meals take care of all the essential nutritional requirements of a child. It helps the child develop in a healthy manner. These meals provided as a part of the PM POSHAN Abhiyaan, take care of carbohydrates, essential fats, proteins, fortified salt, etc.
•         Meals nourish children inside-out, providing them with the right energy to expend it by participating in various sports and co-curricular activities. A well-nourished child can play well when compared to a malnourished child.
•         It reduces risk the of diseases providing good immunity. Meals prevent diseases like anaemia, partial blindness and give them the strength to fight common diseases like cold, flu, etc.
•         Free school meals give them access to education. When children start coming to school on a regular basis, they also get tuned to receiving education on a daily basis.

NGOs play a major role in the implementation the of provision of mid-day meals. The Akshaya Patra Foundation is one such organisation that helps children from low-income sections gain the above benefits. It has been serving school meals since 2000 and has grown from feeding 1,500 children to close to 2 million children every day.

Donate online to such NGOs that play an important role to nourish children. You never know how your help could transform the lives of either children or their families or a community on the whole.

Extend your support in whichever way possible. Because no support is small help, it has the potential to change lives.