NGOs – A critical link for social change

 

Drive around the city and you may see people living completely different lives on the roadside—people with no qualms in tattered clothes, tents with holes, discoloured hair and undernourished bodies. 

The Government frequently releases schemes and programmes for their welfare. The problem lies in their reach into remote areas and their ground-level execution.

Ever wondered what created the gap in the first place? 
Do they not deserve access to resources just because they are born into low-income families?
Is there anyone listening to their calls for help?

Let's look at the phenomenon of globalisation and the idea of development to answer these questions.  

Industrialisation, Urbanisation and Globalisation

The 19th century saw tremendous advances in transportation and communication. The resulting Industrial Revolution eased trade across borders. Businesses reached new heights by expanding their supply chains internationally. It allowed them to amass incredible amounts of wealth and strengthen the economic positions of their countries.

Eventually, corporations and the better-off sections of the population went further up the economic ladder while the marginalised were exploited for labour. Subsequently, they lost access to basic rights and resources, thus widening the gap between the wealthy and the disadvantaged even further.

With such fast-paced industrial progress, even our natural environment began suffering, resulting in the mass destruction of both, flora and fauna. Pollution and depletion of resources questioned the future of upcoming generations and the misuse of capital by a small privileged section of humanity.

The Dawn of Realisation

Around the late 20th century, a conscious of equality for all grew. The idea of development gradually changed from urbanisation and exploitation to sustainable development. People started caring not only for all of humanity but also for the wildlife we took for granted till now. The focus diverted to working for environmental protection and guarding the rights of those who remained suppressed for decades. 

Subsequently, NGOs sprung up to accomplish the global aims of “ending poverty, protecting the planet and improving the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere.”

NGOs – Heroes of the Modern World

Non-Government Organisations or NGOs are voluntary citizen groups that emerged around 40 years ago. Ever since, they have been crucial to 

• advocate welfare and humanitarian assistance
• create awareness about ongoing problems and change the outlook of society
• check on activities of the Government and private entities 
• research, plan, mobilise people and work with local authorities for the execution of welfare schemes at the grassroots level
• collaborate at local, national and international levels

One of the most notable characteristics of NGOs is acting consistently for long-term results. That is why there are many established NGOs in India that the Government recognises as its implementing partners today.

Corporate Social Responsibility

In April 2014, India became the first country to make Corporate Social Responsibility mandatory. Hence, the growing need for businesses to undertake CSR initiatives further boosted NGO activities in the country. They either sent employee groups to volunteer at NGOs in India or donate a portion of their profits to fund welfare programmes. In any case, this significantly boosted people’s participation in social change.

Tax Exemption

The Central Governments made provisions for people to motivate them to donate. For instance, a section under the Income Tax Act provided a percentage of tax exemption if citizens donated to organisations qualifying under the act. In India, you can avail 50% or 100% tax exemption under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act by donating to a charitable organisation. 

Technology and NGOs

NGOs today are not what you may imagine as dull spaces with activists shouting slogans. They are well-versed with the latest technology and their use for the causes they support.

For instance, NGOs like Akshaya Patra, have been using hi-tech cooking mechanisms for 21 years to produce fresh meals for children while avoiding human touch. For the Akshaya Patra initiatives, they not only ensure hygiene while cooking but also produce huge amounts of fresh food for children.

Moreover, the kitchens adhere to Food Safety Management Systems which include sterilising all the cooking equipment with steam before preparing meals. They use food-safe SS 304 Grade vessels, conduct frequent training with the cooks and supervisors to ensure food hygiene, undertake pest control measures and check 'Critical Control Points' like cooking temperature etc.

Donate to NGOs

Since NGOs do not work for profit, they depend on backing from the Government and donors. One can contribute through online donations, fundraising campaigns or even volunteer with them online or offline.

This is true with Akshaya Patra as well. They started by serving fresh, nutritious and hygienic mid-day meals to children of Government schools. But today, years of consistent support from the Government of India and their donor family, they started other programmes for underprivileged people such as Anganwadi Feeding, Disaster Relief feeding, Homeless Mothers Feeding and so on.

Now you can also be a part of their change-maker community. Donate online individually or start a campaign for any of the Akshaya Patra initiatives. When you support their flagship programme PM POSHAN Abhiyaan with a contribution of INR 1500, you will nourish a child for an entire academic year.

Donate to feed the children from low-income and marginalised backgrounds
 for a healthy future of the nation.

Major Reasons to give to charity

 

Importance of Akshaya Patra's Nutritious Food for Children

Most of the kids these days are generally hooked up on junk food.

As a result of which, children land up eating smaller portions of nutritious food.

Peer pressure, TV commercials, roadside eateries and fried food create battles between parents and their children.

Importance of nutrition in children

Ensuring that children eat a well-balanced diet is crucial for their growth and development. Children constantly grow at a rapid rate outgrowing their clothes. What fits them today may not fit in the next 1 month or so. So be prepared to keep investing in good food and some clothes.

Nutrition can also help in establishing a strong foundation for healthy eating habits. These habits inculcated at a very young age will most likely be carried on to the adulthood stage too. This means that if you teach your child to eat carrots over finger chips, this habit may last throughout their lifetime.

Eating nutritious food also has another long-term effect on children. It helps in building immunity and resistance to nutrition-related diseases that can kick in early in the adulthood stages of life. For example, eating fried food frequently results in high cholesterol levels during early adulthood leading to further complications.

Understanding the importance of healthy meals at a very young age, it was necessary to make healthy meals accessible to children of all walks of life. For children who are privileged, healthy meals are easily accessible.

But, what about children who come from challenging backgrounds?

Can they afford healthy meals?

Meals are a huge ask in itself, healthy meals are beyond their affordability.

Then what is their next possible solution?

For most parents, sending children to Government schools means free food for children in school. These meals become the reason why parents don’t mind sending their children to school rather than pushing them to work as a helping hand to their family’s financial situation.

To encourage more parents to send their children to school, the Government of India made provisions under the PM POSHAN Abhiyaan to serve nutritious mid-day meals to children.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an NGO in India that implements the world’s largest school feeding programme.

Akshaya Patra is spread across 65 locations and caters to every day nutritional requirements of 1.8 million beneficiaries with mid-day meals. It caters to the local palates of children spread across 14 states and 2 union territories.

By providing unlimited food for education of children, this NGO in India supports the health and nutrition of children.

Children who initially do not value education, start coming to school to get education and realise the importance of studying and achieving. When they become regular at school, they feel that they too play an important in society.

Make an online donation to give wings to children, to make them realise that their dreams can come true too.

Mid-Day Meals Play a crucial role in Academics

 

NGO's Role in Solving Hunger in India

 

PM Narendra Modi Inaugurates Akshaya Patra’s 62nd kitchen in Varanasi

 

Food is a basic essential for the development of children.
Food and education always go hand in hand.
When a child is well fed and educated, s/he becomes able to pave his future.

Government’s intervention to feed children

NITI Aayog has identified certain districts of India with a high level of malnutrition. To support children in these areas and all over the nation, the Government of India started the PM Poshan Abhiyaan which was earlier known as the Mid-Day Meal Programme.

It was mandated in 2001 that every child studying in Government, Government-aided schools and Education Guarantee Scheme centres receive school meals as a part of this programme. The name of this Mid-Day Meal Scheme was changed to Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman Scheme (PM POSHAN Abhiyaan) in September 2021. This programme has shown positive effects. 

Parents who were not able to afford sending their child/ren to schools due to their financial constraints eagerly sent their children for the free nutritious food being supplied. 

Benefits of mid-day meals

• ·         Nourishes children
• ·         Improves immunity
• ·         Makes children regular to school
• ·         Helps them focus
• ·         Improves memory and retention rate

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an NGO in India that is the implementer of the PM POSHAN scheme (formerly known as the Mid-Day Meal Programme) that benefits 1.8 million children studying in Government and Government-aided schools in 14 states and 2 union territories of India. With its decentralised and centralised kitchens spread across 63 locations, this NGO in India caters to the nutritional needs of children. 

Akshaya Patra works under a Public Private Partnership model and has been running the school lunch programme for the last 21 years with strong support from the Government, donors and corporate partners. 

Akshaya Patra inaugurates 62^nd kitchen

On 7 July 2022, the Honourable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated The Akshaya Patra Foundation’s new kitchen in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. This is the fifth centralised kitchen in the state after Lucknow, Vrindavan, Gorakhpur and Mant. 

Honourable Governor, Smt Anandiben Patel and Honourable Chief Minister, Shri Yogi Adityanath accompanied the Prime Minister. This kitchen was supported by Westbridge Capital. The event was presided by Shri Madhu Pandit Dasa, Chairman – Akshaya Patra, and Shri Chanchalapathi Dasa, Vice-Chairman. 

This event was followed by a visit to the newest kitchen. The Prime Minister, Chief Minister and Governor along with other dignitaries were given a tour of the Akshaya Patra kitchen. 

Details of the Akshaya Patra Kitchen in Varanasi

• ·         Spread over an area of 3 acres
• ·         Capacity to feed 1,00,000 children
• ·         High standards of hygiene, food safety and quality
• ·         Roti machine makes 40,000 rotis/hour
• ·         700-litre capacity rice cauldron with hydraulic system
• ·         1,200-litre capacity dal cauldron with automatic motors
• ·         Reverse Osmosis plant for water purification
• ·         Solar panels for electricity production
• ·         Heat pump and solar water heater to boil water

Once all the dignitaries visited the kitchen facility, the Honourable Prime Minister gathered with children who showcased their talents by singing, dancing, reciting shlokas, performing yoga asanas, etc.

5 components of a Mid Day Meal

 

Mid-Day Meals – A nutritious promise