Effects of hunger on children. Beat it by donating to charities

 

When you think of hunger, your mind immediately paints a black and white picture of a child probably in tattered clothes scurrying for food here and there.

Sadly, this is true and very uncomfortable.

India is home to 33 lakh undernourished children, out of which 17.7 lakh of them are severely malnourished.

For most of us, hunger is only about skipping a meal. But, in reality, hunger is much more than a missed meal and grumbling stomach.

Hunger is a vicious cycle that only makes room for hungrier children and it is unending. 

What happens when a child is hungry for a long term?

If a child is hungry, depending on the stage of hunger, h/she is categorised as suffering from:

• ·         Acute hunger
• ·         Chronic hunger
• ·         Hidden hunger

Acute hunger is when a child is undernourished for a definable time, for example, during wars and disasters. Chronic hunger is a form of hunger that is associated with poverty where they lack sufficient funds for healthy food. Hidden hunger is a form of hunger that results from an unbalanced diet where initially, the symptoms are not identifiable but in the long-term lead to nutritional deficiencies and illnesses.

Apart from these physical deficiencies and illnesses, children who stay hungry for a long time suffer from mental incapability like forgetfulness, decreased attention span and inability to remember long term memories, resulting in decreased academic scores. 

Make charity donations to defeat hunger in children

NGOs target the grass root levels to eradicate all forms of hunger - acute, chronic and hidden. Some of them even go back to nourishing the mother who carries children – pregnant, nursing and new mothers.

Donating to these NGOs to nourish mothers and their children also makes you eligible to gain tax deductions. 

Your tax deductible donations are either eligible for 50% or 100% tax exemption depending on the registration of the non-profit organisation.

Every charity wants to be the best NGO to donate to because the cause they fight for is so genuine. Also, the impact that donors’ contribution has on the beneficiaries is truly appreciable. Here is a story of a young school child who has beaten the ill effects of malnourishment.

Sachin, a Class 6 student at Hanspal Primary School, dreams of becoming a pilot. He suffered from malnutrition and stunting during his initial days of school. He was never able to focus in class and was weak and lifeless. But after getting regular meals at school, he blossomed into an attentive student who performed well and is a favourite of all the teachers.

Beating all the forms of hunger, he says his school lunch has changed him inside out. Adding to it, he says he prefers school meals to the food he gets to eat at home.

Sachin is a mid-day meal beneficiary of The Akshaya Patra Foundation, an NGO in India that serves nutritious meals every day. It has the distinction of being the world's largest NGO-run school lunch programme, serving freshly cooked nutritious meals to over 1.8 million children in 19,039 schools in 14 states and 2 union territories.

Make charity donations to this organisation to end classroom hunger in children studying in Government and Government-aided schools. Your tax deductible donations support food and education of children whose parents cannot afford one square meal a day. Help many more children like Sachin, to break the unending cycle of hunger by feeding them with Akshaya Patra.

5 tax-saving tips

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is registered as a not-for-profit organisation under the Indian Trusts Act, 1882 and Section 12A (a) of the Income Tax Act, 1961. It has been serving mid-day meals to underprivileged school children since 2000. Every donation made towards the NGO in India is eligible for 50% tax exemption.
 

Taking Care Of Pregnant Women With Shakti Kits

 

Summary: Aside from providing nutritious meals to school children, The Akshaya Patra Foundation has also undertaken the initiative to nourish pregnant women. They provide essential nutrient-rich food items and masks for protection against COVID-19.

Body of content: Pregnancy is a beautiful and sensitive phase in a woman’s life. It requires personal attention and care, timely check-up with doctor, and adequate nutrition to ensure a healthy pregnancy. While a section of the society is privileged to meet these needs, there is another section that struggles for the same. This section of women is deprived of even something as basic as nutritious food that is critical during this phase. There are many NGOs who are addressing the needs of women belonging to the socio-economically weaker sections of the society. While fulfilling the role of NGO in the mid-day meal sector, The Akshaya Patra Foundation extended its service to benefit pregnant women too.

About The Akshaya Patra Foundation

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an NGO in India implementing the Mid-Day Meal Programme since 2000. During the past 21 years, it has been constantly expanding its reach to benefit more and more school children. From providing school meals in just Bangalore in 2000, it now nourishes children across 60 locations in 14 States and 2 Union Territories. The Foundation has a beneficiary base of 18,00,907 children studying in 19,039 government schools and government-aided schools.

How is Akshaya Patra helping pregnant women?

Alongside fulfilling the role of NGO in nourishing school children, Akshaya Patra has undertaken Anganwadi Feeding Programme too. Through this programme, the Foundation aims to provide adequate and right nutrition during the foundation years of growth and development. It has been nourishing 1,35,612 young children aged 3 to 6 years in 5,928 Anganwadi Centres in 10 locations of four states namely Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. The Foundation is providing nutritious food to 3,660 pregnant women and lactating mothers in 323 Anganwadi Centres in Jaipur.

What is Shakti Kit?

This programme is an initiative of The Akshaya Patra Foundation that is focussed to provide nutritional support topregnant women hailing from socio-economically weaker sections. As an initial step, in order to improve nutritional status of pregnant women, Akshaya Patra has partnered with Government of Karnataka. Under this partnership, Akshaya Patra is currently providing Shakti Kits to 50,000 pregnant women in the state. Each Shakti Kit contains:

·         Malt-based protein mix

·         Protein porridge mix

·         Dhatri Loha (Ayurvedic immunity builder)

·         Pulses, peanuts, and green moong

·         Turmeric powder

·         Double fortified salt

·         10 masks

Consumption of healthy, nutritious food is vital during pregnancy. It not only impacts the woman, but also the development of the child. Nutritious food also contributes to immunity which is much-needed to protect against diseases and any potential health risks. It is observed that consumption of balanced and nutrient-rich meals lowers the risk of congenital diseases and nutrition deficiencies in the new born babies. Each Shakti Kit is thus packed with food items rich in essential nutrients, so that expecting mothers have a healthy pregnancy and welcome a healthy baby.

Your support is needed

As an NGO in India, The Akshaya Patra Foundation is doing their bit to provide a foundation for a healthy generation through mid-day meals, Anganwadi feeding, and nutrition kit for expecting mothers. However, to continue these services, it requires your support. You can instantly be a part of their mission by contributing an online donation. You can also multiply your impact by conducting a fundraising campaign to support Akshaya Patra.

The best part is, while your contribution impacts and transforms lives of beneficiaries, it also rewards you with tax exemption. Every time you donate ₹500 or above, you become eligible to receive tax exemption under Section 80G of the Indian Income TaxAct. So, go ahead, do good, receive goodwill and tax exemption, and create a better world!  

Author Profile:

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an Indian NGO implementing the Mid-Day Meal Programme along with other relief feeding initiatives. Your support to Akshaya Patra can directly impacts lakhs of children as well as needy people amid crisis situations across India. Your donation towards Akshaya Patra will avail you tax exemption too.

I Am Destined To Be An Achiever - Hope Story Of A Girl Child

 

The Mid-Day Meal Scheme in India is the world’s largest school meal programme. In the past more than two decades of its implementation, this scheme has remarkably impacted the education scenario in the country with regards to enrolment, attendance, and completion of school education. The objective of this scheme is to provide nutritious lunch to children in government schools and government-aided schools. Studies reveal that regular consumption of mid-day meals positively impacted health and learning outcomes of children.

The Mid-Day Meal Scheme in India has not only contributed to nutrition and education of children hailing from socio-economically weaker sections of the society, but also instilled hope and given wings to their aspirations.

This is one core reason why many NGOs totalling over 400 are implementing this scheme in their own capacities. Among them is The Akshaya Patra Foundation that has been nourishing children since 2000. This NGO in India has been consistently serving nutritious school meals with the aim to expand its reach to benefit more children. Currently, it provides daily school meals to 18,00,907 children studying in 19,039 government schools and government-aided schools across 60 locations in 14 States and 2 Union Territories.

“I am destined to be an achiever” – these words of determination
reflect the power of one nutritious meal per school day.

Meet Sneha, a 13-year-old beneficiary of AkshayaPatra studying in Standard VIII, M.P. Prathamika Pathashala in Telangana’s Mehboobnagar. For a child of her age, she is fearless, but that stems from hardships she has witnessed with a father who is an alcoholic. In her words, “My father comes home drunk every day. On the days when he does not return, I let my mother stay home and I go in search of him. It’s a dark and dingy place where he goes to drink, but I do not fear that place anymore. I am no more the timid girl who got shouted at by my father and helplessly watched my mother getting berated.”

After suffering silently for many years, Sneha received support from her teachers and friends. This gave her the strength to take a firm stand against her father and now she constantly reminds him of his responsibilities towards the family. This has made her father cautious of his actions. Sneha says, “My circumstances at home have taught me many lessons. It has made me an independent girl and I do not depend on my father or mother for anything. If I can walk seven kilometres daily to school, then I can do anything on my own.”

For Sneha, school is her getaway place where she finds the peace that’s missing at home and school meals are her energy boosters. She relishes her school meals with her friends and her all-time favourites are vegetable sambar and rice.

Talking about her aspiration, Sneha says, “I don’t want anybody to become like my father who left the family to suffer. Everyone needs a guide to tell or inspire them to do good or carry out their duties properly. That’s why I want to be a teacher. I want to guide children and mould them into better human beings. I want to teach them to perform their duties well.”

School is a place that children like Sneha look forward to every morning,
not just for education, but for support and nutrition too.

The Mid-Day Meal Scheme in India has been the key reason in bringing children from challenging backgrounds to school. Once at school, they get the opportunity to learn, eat nutritious food, and give shape to their ambitions.

Sneha was just one story of determination among lakhs. And as a mid-day meal NGOin India, Akshaya Patra wants to serve as many children as possible. Step in to support by instantly contributing an online donation. Your contribution will create an empowered generation by enabling children to achieve their ambitions and it will avail you tax exemption too (applicable for donations of ₹500 and above).

Akshaya Patra's Role in International Day of Women and Girls in Science

 Gender equality and science go hand in hand. Though there have been several initiatives across the globe regarding women empowerment in the field of science, yet we have a long way to go. In order to support scientific temperament, ensure equal access to and participation in science among girls and women, the United Nations General Assembly declared 11 February as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science in 2015. The 7^th International Day of Women and Girls in Science that is being observed in 2022 will focus on the theme of “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Water Unites Us" in an effort to make progress towards achievement of UN SDG Goal 6, i.e., Clean Water and Sanitation.

Women empowerment in the field of science is possible only when we nurture scientific temperament among girls from a young age. While there are several organisations, both academic and charitable working specifically on the cause of enabling girls and women to have a future in science, there are several NGOs who are boosting school education to give a strong foundation. One such organisation is The Akshaya Patra Foundation, an Indian NGO implementing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme across the country since past 21 years. The Foundation is headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka and has its presence across 14 States & 2 Union Territories of India. Currently, Akshaya Patra provides nutritious mid-day meals to 18,00,907 children studying in 19,039 government schools and government-aided schools. The sole reason that motivates Akshaya Patra to keep striving to nourish children every day is the aspirations of its beneficiaries. So, the objective of this Foundation is not only to feed the children, but to support their nutritional intake and health so that they are physically fit to learn well and attend school regularly. Several impact studies on the effectiveness of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme have revealed that regular intake of nutritious school meals boosts health, improves regularity to school and concentration in class, and improves performance in academic and co-curricular activities.

Aside from implementing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme to feed the children, Akshaya Patra time and again collaborates with reputed academic, arts and music, sports, and other philanthropic organisations to broaden the horizon and support aspirations of its beneficiaries. Recently, Akshaya Patra has collaborated with BYJU’s that will bridge the digital divide and enable accessibility to quality education free of cost for children hailing from economically weaker sections. When donors donate to NGO or when organisations collaborate as knowledge partners, they directly impact the development and lives of the beneficiaries. Below is a mention of a few girl beneficiaries who see their future in the field of science:

-          “I want to be a Doctor and provide free treatment to poor people”, says Sujita of Standard III, CPS Primary School, Silvassa, Daman.

-          “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”, says Roshni of Higher Primary School, Odisha.

-          “I want to become a Dentist, open my own clinic, and be counted among the top dentisits”, says Shyaali of Standard VIII, Ekaathmanagar School, Nagpur.

-          “I want to be a Nutritionist and educate people on proper meal planning and its role in keeping oneself free from diseases. I want to guide people on the importance of nutrition”, says Megha of Standard VII, GMHPS, Bellandur, Bengaluru.

On this International Day of Women and Girls in Science, step in to support health and education of girl children. Donate to NGO and become an enabler of dreams. Step in now to feed the children with nutritious meals on each school day. Your donation will create an empowered generation and will reward you with tax exemption too (applicable for donations of ₹500 and above).

Jabs and more - My take from the vaccination camp

 

I gobbled up my last bite of dosa.

I was extremely nervous.

My anxiety was very evident on my face.

 As I took a deep breath to calm myself down, a few questions crossed my mind – will we all be safe, what if I contract the virus, will there be takers for the vaccine, will other NGOs working for covid relief rope in our takers, do we have enough kits for everyone, etc.

The vaccination drive at Jigani kitchen was a 20-day event. And this was just day one.

I rushed to the location and reached at 8 in the morning on 10^th January 2022. This was the first time I was attending the vaccination drive at The Akshaya Patra Foundation’s Jigani kitchen. As I parked my bike, I was surprised to see that people had already started lining up to get their jabs. As I helped my colleagues put up banners and posters, I saw many more people joining the queue. I was impressed with how many people had turned up. I thought to myself,

So many people need the vaccinations but are unable to pay and get inoculated.

Suddenly there was a sense of pride in me for being associated with Akshaya Patra. It is not too long since I joined this organisation, but there is a sense of satisfaction that I am working with an organisation that helps people in need. Many organisations help in different ways but this one was different. Akshaya Patra was one organisation that did its best to support poor people; it helped the COVID 19 donation from donors reach the people in need.

As I put up the last set of posters on the road turning, an old man stopped by and asked me in Kannada, “Yen poster idu?” (what poster is this). I informed him that there was a COVID vaccination drive where he would get free ration and other essentials free of cost.

The conversation then continued.

Old man: Yaaru maadtha irodu? (who is organising this camp?)

Me: Akshaya Patra. Kelidira? (Heard of it?)

Old man: Illa. Yaaru avru? (Who is it?)

Me: Adu ondu sansthe. (It is an organisation).

Old man: COVID alli ee thara thumba sansthegalu nodidini. (I have seen many NGOs working for COVID relief)

Me: Idu aa thara sansthe alla.

He was all ears. So, I continued to tell him why this organisation is different.

(The essence of what I spoke in Kannada is translated below)

Akshaya Patra feeds 1.8 million underprivileged children with mid-day meals every day since 2000. It provides nutritious meals to support the health, education and nutrition of children coming from challenging socio-economic backgrounds. During the pandemic, this NGO in India has also started feeding the population in need. It has served a cumulative of 20-crore meals with the help of COVID 19 donations to carpenters, labourers, ambulance drivers, gravediggers, old people, orphans, blind people, etc.

It looked like I had gained the trust of the old man. He said he will get his family in a while for the vaccination. A sense of satisfaction for helping someone in need rose in my heart. I quickly walked back to the camp. It was almost 11 am. People were swarming outside the entrance.

I spoke to the first few people lined up outside the kitchen. A few of them had heard about the vaccination camp and had lined up in the night, I was shocked to hear their story.

Some of these beneficiaries had been waiting since 2.30 in the night. They had carried their blankets along with them to help them stay warm through the night.

The security had started checking temperatures and providing sanitisers to all the entrants. As soon as these checks were done, they would be guided to the waiting area after which they would move to the section where their documents would be verified and the date of their last vaccination would be confirmed. These people would be directed to a room where they would receive the jab.

The best thing about Akshaya Patra is that nobody is allowed to leave immediately after the vaccination. Each person will be asked to wait for 10 minutes, receive medical attention if needed, handed over a cooked meal packed in a container, gets a refreshment drink and then receives a kit called the Raksha Kit. Only after they receive these items will they be able to leave.

As I was helping an old woman enter the premises, a woman aged around 50, walked in seeking help. Her 82-year-old mother was partially blind and could hardly walk. She requested to me if she could get the jab that day. I verified the documents she carried and checked with my team members if we could help them.

The Akshaya Patra Team accompanied the 50-year-old woman to vaccinate her and her 82-year-old partially blind mother at their house.

After their vaccination, we handed over their share of refreshment, packed meal and the Raksha Kit that would help them cook 21 servings of meals. Happiness reverberated in their house that day.

Though today was a hectic day, there was a sense of satisfaction that filled my heart; so many people were vaccinated and benefitted by this NGO in India that I am a part of. Many such vaccination camps will be organised in the next few months in Delhi, Bengaluru, etc. If you like to make a COVID 19 donation, consider donating to Akshaya Patra as it is an NGO registered under Section 12A (a) of the Income Tax Act, 1961.

With your donations to Akshaya Patra’s Raksha Kits, you help a low-income person get jabbed while you gain 50% tax exemption on your contribution INR 1500. Don’t think I am saying this because I am an Akshaya Patra employee, but as a concerned citizen. Support this organisation so that people in need are benefitted and we can make India a COVID-free nation soon.

5 things that change when girls are educated

 

Hamsa was very cautious not to make any noise. She whispered to her mother while she boiled the rice for lunch, saying “Amma! Donga (Robber).” She wondered which robber would want to rob them since they don’t have anything expensive. A voice reminded her of what was taught in her school in Telangana, why should anyone rob in the first place? This small lesson changed her vision and mission of life.

A mid-day meal beneficiary, 14-year-old Hamsa from Telangana wants to be a Police Officer.

Oprah Winfrey said, “When you educate a girl, you begin to change the face of the nation.” And this saying has meaning to it because when you educate a woman, she becomes able and independent thereby raising self-reliant citizens. Provide food for education of a girl child, she will feed herself, her family, her community and the entire country. 

5 things that change when you educate a girl child

1.    Educated girls make informed decisions about marriage

Researchers from the International Centre for Research on Women and the World Bank found a strong relationship with educating a girl and her marriage. This means that when a girl receives constant education, she will make a conscious decision of when she wants to marry and that usually avoids child marriage.

The study also shows that educated girls tend to have lesser children and choose to bear children at a later stage of life. 

2.    Educated girls bring economic stability to their family

Generally, a working woman knows how to run her house and how much is needed to do so. When you educate a girl at a young age, she becomes aware of the importance of saving money. When she learns to save as a young woman, she learns how to allocate her budget and manage expenses for the long term. 

3.    Educated girls support the education of others

When you educate a girl child, she becomes aware of the benefits of education as she grows up into an adult. She in turn takes a stand to educate her children equally, irrespective of their gender. 

4.    Education improves a girl’s health and her family’s health

Education that involves basic education along with sexual education makes them aware of sexually transmitted diseases and adolescent pregnancies. Education helps them with critical thinking, decision-making skills, responsibilities and also reinforces gender equality. These children also seek healthcare for themselves and their families. 

5.    Education gives wings to a girl’s dreams

When a girl is educated, she becomes aware that her dreams can also come true. Education is the medium that catapults them to a brighter future. An educated girl becomes an empowered woman who has the capacity to steer her life, her community and the world too. 

Role of NGOs in empowering girls

There are thousands of non-profit organisations that work towards educating girl children and making their lives better. The role of NGOs includes a wide range of opportunities that help empower them with food and education. Some NGOs help girl children by:

Ø  Freely living their life with a sense of self-worth, respect and dignity.

Ø  Having equal rights to participate in religious, social and public activities,

Ø  Having equal social status in the society as men

Ø  Having equal rights for economic and social justice

Ø  Determining financial choices

Ø  Getting equal opportunity for education and employment without any gender bias

Ø  Getting a safe and comfortable working environment 

Akshaya Patra – an NGO in India that cares for girl children

TheAkshaya Patra Foundation is an NGO in India that is recognised for running the world’s largest NGO-run school meal programme. By providing nutritious mid-day meals to support food for education for both boys and girls, it brings gender equality in the minds of young children. Locally palatable meals are served to them so that there is no wastage of food.

During the times of the pandemic and when schools remain closed in some states, the Foundation also provides Happiness Kits to them. Every girl child receives immunity boosters that support her health, hygiene essentials like sanitary pads and soap along with activity books that will keep them occupied and not lose touch with studies. 

Let’s support girl children as they also deserve to dream and achieve as they grow up from being educated girls to empowered women. 

Make an online donation to support an organisation to help them expand their operations to reach out to more girl children because an empowered girl means an empowered nation. 

If more information is needed on tax benefits of donating under section 80g of income tax act click here

What Republic day means to children

 

India celebrates its 73^rd Independence Day on 26^th January 2022 like every other day amid the crisis. On this day, the Indian Constitution came into existence in 1950. The Constitution of India is a huge document that lays down the powers, duties, fundamental rights, procedures and directive principles of The Government of India and its citizens.

 Celebrations of Republic Day in India

·         The Republic Day parade is the star of the show

·         The President of the country hoists the flag, presents bravery awards to citizens of India

·         The Prime Minister of India pays homage to all the soldiers who have lost their lives in the wars

·         The three divisions of the Indian Armed Forces – Air Force, Navy and Indian Army, lead the parade and is followed by a rally of marching soldiers, aircraft shows, military bands, etc. 

Communities, apartments, associations, schools, etc. hoist flags in their premises to remember and honour the day that the Constitution was adopted.

 Republic Day in schools of India

RepublicDay is a day when children of Government and Government-aided schools get something more than midday meals. It is a special day for young children which is celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm. Children enact the roles of being freedom fighters, participate in debates favouring these brave souls and sing in their praise.  

 

Though children might be hesitant to come to schools on a national holiday, most of them come for something special. Apart from midday meals, children also wait for sweets to be distributed as sweets and snacks are a luxury for these children who hardly get to eat one square meal a day. In some places, it is the day where an NGO in India might take care of the food and snacks of one or two schools, while others make children aware of their history and freedom fighters.

Children who come to school and enjoy it everyday

For some children, coming to school is an absolute necessity. School is the only place that helps them think, learn and achieve as the situations in their house does not permit them to exceed. Coming to school guarantees that they are not becoming victims of child labour and that they become educated enough to become self-dependent. Midday meals provided at schools ensure that they come back to school every single day and Republic Day is a special occasion for these children.

           Sachin wants to be a Pilot

Growing from being a malnourished child who did not have any energy and zeal to do anything in life to becoming a sharp child who takes part in all curricular activities, 9-year-old Sachin wants to become a Pilot and make lots of money for his parents. He gives all the credit for his betterment to his teachers, friends and one specific NGO in India that served school meals every day.

 

Sujita wants to become a doctor

Having no parents to raise her does not make her feel vulnerable; Sujita was raised by her grandfathers. Though they can’t give everything, they enrolled her to a school that could give wings to her dreams. All her food needs are taken care of by her school in Silvassa. She loves coming to school as it keeps her focused to learn and work towards achieving her dreams of becoming a doctor.

 

Prajesh wants to be a Prime Minister

Prajesh is a young boy who is a huge fan of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Very focused on achieving his dreams, he wants to do a lot for the nation. He does not miss even one day of school as he does not want to be diverted in his studies. Food and education was something very important to him after moving from Bareilly to Daman and he was very happy. 

A few common things in these children – they have dreams and eat school meals provided by one NGO in India – The Akshaya Patra Foundation.

To read more such stories of children, click here.

 Akshaya Patra is an NGO that serves school meals to children coming from challenging socio-economic backgrounds. It is renowned for running the world’s largest NGO run school lunch programme, serving freshly cooked nutritious mid-day meals to over 1.8 million children in 19,039 schools of 14 states & 1 union territory of India. For the last 21 years, it has been serving nutritious and locally palatable meals to school children studying in Government and Government-aided schools.

 There are many such students who need the support of midday meals to come to schools everyday. Let’s support their food and education with this NGO in India that implements the midday meal scheme in India.

 John F Kennedy’s historic words were, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” This Republic Day, let’s support the dreams of young children who dream big in life. Donate online to Akshaya Patra to reach out to more children who need support.