Together we can fight COVID

 

The first wave, second wave, vaccinations and many more waves of the pandemic might come and go. A few important things we take away from it:

·         It has changed our economy and lives drastically

·         It has thrown limelight on the labour class and working forces

·         It has made us realise the importance of essential services

·         It has taught us that saving for an unforeseen circumstance is necessary

·         It has taught us that work can be done from anyplace with the help of technology

·         It has brought forth many individuals who support an NGO for COVID relief services

 

Our energy, emotions and attention have all been diverted to self-care and care of family and relatives. During these times of aloofness come a plethora of thoughts that we dwell upon. This is the time when we assess all the changes that have taken place and reflect upon ourselves.

 

·         How can I extend my kindness?

·         How can I help people in distress?

·         I have everything I need in life, others suffer. How can I uplift them?

 

All citizens came together to fight the pandemic by making food donation in India to people in need. While some supported by providing food assistance, others helped by providing monetary aid while others provided medical facilities.

Did you know?

During the 2^nd wave of the pandemic, India received help from 52 countries.

All across the globe, people have always helped their fellow beings in their own little way. Some of them even went a step ahead by cooking food in their kitchens while others chose to stay at the safety of their home and make online donations.

 

Help in the fight against COVID

·         Protecting yourself and others

The most important thing to do is keep yourself safe by adhering to norms given by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare like masking up, maintaining social distance, avoiding travelling unnecessarily, etc. Follow quarantine protocols and follow safety guidelines to stop the spreading of the virus at home.

 

·         Donating money

Millions of people have lost their jobs due to the pandemic. Without any savings to support themselves and their families, they are suffering without any money and with bills piling up for payment. All that these people need is monetary help from generous donors who are fortunate not to be affected by the pandemic or the lockdown.

 

·         Donating food

People from low-income sections of society neither have money to buy provisions, food essentials or ration to help them sustain during the pandemic nor do they have the essentials to help them. Some of them do not even have a home to get shelter under.

 

Apart from directly helping by doing any of the three above statements, you can also support an NGO for COVID relief services. There are thousands of non-governmental organisations that support by providing food donation in India. You can support such organisations by donating money to them or by raising funds to help them in carrying out their operations.

 

Support with your food donation in India

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation that has been into serving food for school children coming from challenging socio-economic backgrounds for the last 21 years. It runs the world’s largest school lunch programme by providing mid-day meals in 19,039 Government and Government-aided schools.

The Foundation serves locally palatable meals that are hygienically prepared by adhering to safety norms from its 58 centralised kitchens and 2 decentralised kitchens. Apart from serving meals to children, Akshaya Patra also provides free cooked meals to people in need during the COVID pandemic with the help of its supporters, the Government of India and the District as well as State authorities. With its feeding initiatives, the organisation supports construction-site workers, labourers, homeless people, pregnant women, grave-diggers, auto-rickshaw drivers, ambulance drivers, nurses, patient caretakers, aged women, orphans etc. Support this NGO for COVID relief services to help them support more low-income individuals and families.

 

Akshaya Patra serves school meals every day to 1.8 million children of 14 states and 2 union territories of India

 

When individuals and NGOs join hands, it is easy to provide relief to people in need. You never know which family can survive with your contribution. Provide cooked meals or ration, hygiene products, education supplies and other essentials to support marginalised families.

Let your benevolence reach its destination by donating a delivery van

 

The midday meal scheme is one of the most potential interventions of the Government of India to support education of children belonging to socio-economically challenging backgrounds. Through this scheme, children studying in government schools and government-aided schools receive nutritious lunch at school, every day. The midday meals not only satiate their hunger, but also plays a crucial role in providing required nutrition as well as increases enrolment rate, improves regularity to school, decreases drop-out rate, boosts concentration and performance of children.

Akshaya Patra’s role in midday meal programme

One of the pioneer mid-day meal NGOs, The Akshaya Patra Foundation has been serving school children with nutritious meals for 21 years. It operates in a Public Private Partnership model to maximise the impact of the school meal programme. The Foundation implements the midday meal scheme in partnership with the Central Government of India, State Governments, and Administration of Union Territories. It receives support from individual donors, corporates, and well-wishers.

Akshaya Patra understands the significant role of mid-day meals for school children. As a responsible meal provider, it leaves no stone unturned to make sure that children receive their daily share of nutritious meals at school. This mid-day meal NGO in India is known for its commitment, meticulous processes, state-of-the-art, hi-tech, mega kitchens located across India, and seamless meal delivery system. At present, Akshaya Patra nourishes 18,00,907 children studying in 19,039 government and aided schools in 58 locations of 13 States and 1 Union Territory.

How Akshaya Patra implements the meal programme?

-          To implement the midday meal scheme, Akshaya Patra adheres to industry standard operating processes, meal nutrition guidelines as recommended by Central Mid-Day Meal Scheme, and ensures complete hygiene and quality.

-          To benefit maximum children, Akshaya Patra operates centralised kitchens in urban and semi-urban areas, and decentralised kitchens in remote locations. The centralised kitchens are large mechanised facilities with 20 kitchens being ISO certified and two kitchens being OHSAS certified. The decentralised kitchens are run by women self-help groups under the supervision of Akshaya Patra’s quality manager.

-          Akshaya Patra takes utmost care in preparation of the meals - right from procurement of raw materials to delivery of the meals to schools. It ensures highest level of hygiene, quality and nutrition by following processes such as Food Safety Management System, Supplier Quality Management System, Quality Assurance Programme, standardised recipes, personal hygiene and safety gear, food safe stainless steel and sanitised kitchen equipment and vessels.

-          To make sure children relish their meals as well as receive adequate nutrition, Akshaya Patra follows a cyclic and locally palatable menu in adherence to the standard dietary norms.

-          The cooked meals are packed in insulated stainless steel vessels and are delivered to schools in customised delivery vans.

Why Akshaya Patra seeks your support?

The Foundation is cognisant of the critical need for school meals and the resources required to fulfil the objectives of the programme. This humongous programme demands involvement of all sections of the society - government, businesses, individuals, and implementing organisations.

AkshayaPatra has always been humbled at the support it has received over the years that has allowed the Foundation to benefit over 18 lakhs children as mentioned earlier. Well-aware of the impact strong partnerships can create, Akshaya Patra provides a platform and encourages individuals and businesses to step in to support the school meal programme. Some of the many ways to get involved with Akshaya Patra are:

·         Contribute online donation

·         Conduct fundraising campaigns

·         Become a CSR partner

·         Become a goodwill ambassador

·         Become a knowledge partner

·         Volunteer

Akshaya Patra strives to ensure children are served with nutritious food every day. Be a part of their endeavour. Donate a van and assure children of their much-needed daily school meals. Your donation will not only deliver midday meals, but also days full of health and joy!

Fighting an emerging crisis: Elderly & Homeless

Homelessness is a serious problem across the world. It is a concern faced by both developing and developed countries. Though the definition of homelessness differs across countries, the United Nations Economic and Social Council Statement broadly defines it as, ‘When we are talking about housing, we are not just talking about four walls and a roof. The right to adequate housing is about security of tenure, affordability, access to services and cultural adequacy. It is about protection from forced eviction and displacement, fighting homelessness, poverty and exclusion.’

Homelessness in India

In India, homelessness is defined as, ‘those who do not live in Census houses, but rather stay on pavements, roadsides, railway platforms, staircases, under flyovers, streets, in hume pipes, or other open spaces like places of worship etc.’ India ranks 6^th among top 10 countries with significant homeless population and has the highest number of street children in the world. The other countries being Nigeria, Egypt, Indonesia, China, Haiti, Zimbabwe, Honduras, Germany, and United States. According to Census 2011, there are 17.7 lakhs homeless people in India with urban areas having the highest concentration of more than 9 lakhs homeless people.

Homelessness is one of the worst kinds of human rights violation. It not only deprives people of shelter, but also compromises their safety. Homelessness also limits accessibility to food, healthcare, well-being, employment opportunities, and education. The homeless population consists of men, women, mothers, the elderly, and the disabled. There are many NGOs in India that address different needs of the homeless population. Some organisations feed the needy, some provide necessary items like clothes, blankets, etc. and yet others work towards making healthcare, education, and employment opportunities available for this section of people.

Homeless women, in particular, are the most vulnerable and suffer the worst kind of violence and exploitation. Homeless mothers spend sleepless nights while safeguarding their children, especially daughters. In addition, there are also 40 million widowed women in India who are abandoned by their families and children. Among the widows are single mothers, pregnant women, and aged women.

Akshaya Patra’s intervention

In an effort to ensure homeless mothers receive their daily share of healthy meals, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, an NGO in India has stepped in to provide food relief. At present, the Foundation is providing food to thousands of homeless mothers in Vrindavan. On an average, a moderately active women should consume 1800-2200 calories per day. To meet this requirement, Akshaya Patra provides freshly prepared, nutritious, and hygienic meals everyday to homeless mothers. These meals support their health and also instils a sense of ‘being cared for’.

Akshaya Patra is a reputed mid-day meal NGO in India. It has been nourishing school children with nutritious meals for the past 21 years. Akshaya Patra provides mid-day meals to 18,00,907 children on each school day across 58 locations in 13 States and 1 Union Territory. The Foundation has always contributed to food relief activities during crisis situations like natural disasters and COVID-19 pandemic.

Feed the needy homeless mothers with Akshaya Patra

In order to continue the feeding programme for homeless mothers, Akshaya Patra requires the help of donors and supporters. Every penny of NGO donations is an assurance that the beneficiary homeless mothers will receive their share of food every day. You can help Akshaya Patra in an instant by contributing an online donation at the click of a button. Your contribution will uphold dignity of the homeless mothers, support their health and give them the assurance of receiving nutritious food every day. Donate generously to feed the needy homeless mothers and spread the word about this feeding programme too.

Meals that strengthens hope - Latest success stories of Akshaya Patra

 

Have you ever thought, how would it be to uphold hopes and give wings to lakhs of aspirations, every single day? Well, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, an NGO in India has been doing this for the past 21 years. In 2000, with the vision, “No child shall be deprived of education because of hunger’, Akshaya Patra began serving freshly prepared, nutritious school meals to children in government schools and government-aided schools. It is one of the pioneers in implementing the Midday Meal Programme in partnership with the Central Government and various State Governments.

Akshaya Patra has progressed from providing meals to 1,500 children at five schools in Bengaluru in 2000 to benefitting 18,00,907 children in 19,039 schools in 58 locations across 13 States and 1 Union Territory in 2021.

The Midday Meal Programme impacts lives of children in more ways than what’s visible on the surface and Akshaya Patra is well-aware of this impact. Hence, it strives each day to provide high-quality, nutritious meals to children across India. More often than not, this meal is the reason why parents send their children to school with the hope that children will receive at least one full meal a day. Their reason of sending children to school may not primarily be that for education, but it certainly opens up the path to education and children witness that their far-fetched dream of going to school has finally come true. This turn of events instil a sense of confidence in them that it is possible to achieve their dreams.

Stories of hope

Here’s sharing the hope stories of two Akshaya Patra beneficiaries from among 18,00,907 beneficiaries.

·         Inspired by “Gully Boy” a popular Bollywood movie mixed with his sheer interest in music, Rajesh, a student of Chandrabaghabai Education Society is all set to become the next sensation as a rap artist. He already writes his own lyrics and makes music out of anything; just by tapping his hand and pencil on the desk, Rajesh creates a variety of rhythms. And once he has found the right tune for the lyrics, he confidently raps it in front of the whole class with his friends as beatboxers. His fluency in English and Hindi is worth a mention. His determination to become a rap artist become even more pronounced as he shares, “I visit my neighbour’s house twice a week to watch shows of my favourite artists and I try to learn from their styles.” Rajesh is a true performer and have received appreciation of his principal and the entire school. He says, “No work is a task, if you do it wholeheartedly. And my heart beats to rap music. I want to be a rap artist. I know it is not all that easy and I don’t have a Bollywood background. But I will work very hard with all my heart and get to the top on my own.”

·         Not many of us can turn a flaw into our strength, but Roshni, a student from Higher Primary School, Odisha did it. A white patch on the face shadowed most of Roshni’s schooldays. She was nicknamed as patchy, white-patch etc. Roshni felt humiliated and every day became more and more traumatising. Gradually, she distanced herself from everyone, stopped eating food because of the fear that certain food may worsen the patch. One day, Roshni’s friend introduced her to the internet and that changed everything for her. She read about the patch on her face and understood that all along there was no reason to feel insecure about the patch or the food she ate. Instantly, she accepted the mark as her identity and decided to become a Cosmetic Surgeon. Alongside she also read up on the kind of food that is beneficial for her skin. While doing so, she browsed a little more to know about the NGO that serves daily lunch at her school, The Akshaya Patra Foundation. She was pleasantly surprised and happy to know that the Foundation ensured complete cleanliness while preparing the food and prioritised children’s safety at every step. Since then, she has never hesitated to eat her school meals. Roshni’s teachers were glad to witness the positive change in her. They support her morally and financially as an encouragement to achieve her dreams. Today, Roshni is a confident girl who is good at academics and participates in all co-curricular activities. She says, “I want to give confidence to people who are insecure about their looks. I want to become a Cosmetic Surgeon and be the best that Odisha has.”

Support Akshaya Patra to nurture more dreams

This NGO in India strives to make each day better, happier, and fulfilling for children. It aims to feed 50-lakh children by 2025. Join the mission and instantly make a difference in the lives of children by contributing online donation. Your one moment of generosity will change the lives of children for the better. Step in to give hope and nurture budding dreams because every bit of your support matters.

Role of NGOs in child welfare

 

Good nutrition helps us survive and thrive. Well-nourished children, grow, learn, develop, play, participate and become healthy adults giving birth to a healthy next-generation. Malnutrition takes away the best of their capabilities, leaving them frail and with no energy due to underlying deficiencies. To bring them out of malnourishment, the Governments of various countries made several provisions for the betterment of the health of individuals at different stages of life.

 

The power of NGOs

When the Government takes to solving an issue, many non-governmental organisations come forward to join hands with them. They are the bridge between the beneficiaries and the government. Many non-profit organisations in India have shown interest to improve the health of people. The role of NGOs in India is not restricted towards the development of certain people of society, it also ranges to cleanliness, sustenance, animal welfare, protection of biodiversity, etc. Some take the role of supporting children’s health and education, while some other NGOs take care of the health of the elderly or the development of expecting mothers and her child.

 

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is one NGO in India that is an implementing partner of the Government of India for the Mid-Day Meal Programme. It plays a vital role in nourishing school children whose parents cannot afford wholesome meals for them. Apart from the midday meal scheme, it has taken up feeding initiatives:

·         Anganwadi feeding

·         Feeding to provide disaster relief

·         Feeding expecting mothers

·         Feeding in old-age homes

To ensure that children receive healthy food right from birth, the Foundation has undertaken Anganwadi feedings as one of its feeding initiatives.

 

Role of NGO in India to nourish pregnant women

During the first six years of life, children attain several developmental milestones which becomes the foundation for learning and development in the future. A healthy mother gives birth to a healthy child which then grows up to become a healthy and responsible citizen who gives birth to healthy children. It is a circle of life and is one major reason why it is important to feed a child with healthy food at a very young age.

 

Akshaya Patra’s Anganwadi reach:

Targets children from 3 to 6 years and pregnant and lactating mothers.

 

 

Role of NGO in India to implement the midday meal scheme

In 2020, 45.4 million children under 5 years old were affected by wasting. To improve the nutritional status of such children, Akshaya Patra became an implementing partner in 2000, and started feeding where it was headquartered, in Bengaluru. For the last 21 years, the Foundation continuously prepares locally palatable meals with nutritional specification laid out by the Supreme Court of India.

 

Your role in supporting to feed a child

Children are the ones who decide the progression of a country in the future. India’s progress lies in the hands of young children who have big dreams to achieve. Make a donation for children to realise their dream and bring them to life.

 

Children aspire to be famous personalities when they grow to become adults. Helping them realise their dream, is in our hands. Mid-day meals become a strong incentive for parents who cannot afford to send their children to school so that they get one healthy meal a day.

 

With Akshaya Patra, you can support children’s health and their education as well because the organisation believes that “No child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger.”

 

As its name stands, Akshaya Patra provides unlimited food for education of children studying in government and government-aided schools. If you donate today, you can help a child grow into a healthy adult who will grow up to achieve more in life and become a responsible citizen too.

If you know about a child who has benefitted from receiving midday meals every day and has grown to become a responsible adult, let us know by commenting in the section below.