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).

What does it take to deliver a hygienic midday meal

 

I snoozed my alarm. I was still so sleepy and tired. It was probably the medicines that showed its effect on my body. I was still recovering from the last week’s fall at home.

Today is the first day I went after this incident.

So I decided to wake up even before the next alarm went off.

There was a sharp shooting pain in my left leg. I found it difficult to move from one place to another; walking to the bathroom took me a good 5 minutes. I was worried about how I will perform in the kitchen today.

I got dressed up and was ready to leave home by 4.30 in the morning. I do not fear contracting the virus, I am not worried because my company – The Akshaya Patra Foundation ensured my safety by arranging vaccination for all its employees.

I reached the kitchen premise.

And my drill began.

I stood in line to get my temperature checked.

One of my colleagues had a slightly higher temperature than what was accepted, so he was asked to go back home.

It was my turn; the security guy checked my temperature. He asked me how I was doing. I didn’t know even the security guy knew about the accident.

I moved ahead to sanitise my hand.

 

Everyone was smiling and asking about me, I felt like a celebrity!

 

I tied my hair into a bun and put on the headgear. We all were asked to do this every day without fail because this was a midday meal NGO, and hygiene is of utmost priority here. Whether employees work in a centralised kitchen or a decentralised kitchen, headgear, masks and gloves are compulsory. After I was geared up with the head cap, I went ahead to wash my hands.

As I was washing my hands with soap and humming a song, Thaayamma joined me. I missed her! She reminds me of my deceased aunt.

 

Thaayamma: Yenamma Sridevi! How are you feeling now?

Me: I am fine akka. I just find it difficult to walk and sit these days.

Thaayamma: Oh is it? Maybe we can talk to the Supervisor to give you a chair for a few days.

Me: Is that possible? It’s never happened before.

Thaayamma:  Don’t worry! Ours is a centralised kitchen, I am sure we can find a chair for you to work on.

 

She went out of her way to take permission from the Supervisor and help me sit on a chair for me to work on.

 

I love my job here at Akshaya Patra! Every individual is respected and taken care of.

 

Everyone was so welcoming; like I had come back from a long weekend. It makes me so happy to come here every single day.

 

I stretched my hands as I was going to begin work after a long gap of 4 days. My task for today was cutting Mangaluru cucumbers, while Thaayamma was assigned carrots, Sarita with drumsticks and the rest beans, onions and tomatoes. The menu for today was Krishnamruth sambar with steamed rice.

 

The cook was shouting around asking all of us to hurry up, else Akshaya Patra – a midday meal NGO would be late to serve midday meals to children. As the rice was being steamed and the supervisor was checking on the seasoning ingredients, we had visitors in the kitchen. I heard from others that they had contributed earlier, and wanted to donate online this year too, but wanted to check on the quality and hygiene of the centralised kitchen. I glanced around the room, the visitor was a woman.

 

The visitor was not wearing a head cap. We were not so worried but could not deny the fact that even a strand of hair in the kitchen would raise a red flag. The supervisor came forward and politely handed over the head cap to her which she obliged.

 

It was a relief!

 

One helper was assigned to wash the vegetables in flowing water, twice. He then moved all the cleaned and washed chopping boards, knives and utensils to all of us.

 

Can you imagine washing hundreds of kilos of rice, dals and other legumes every day?

 

For cooking this sambar for around 5000 primary children coming from poor sections of society, we use close to 115kgs of different types of dals. As I was lost in doing my work in a rhythmic manner along with others, we cut close to 150kgs of vegetables; I forgot about my pain. After almost an hour of cutting and chopping, we all were finally done for the day.

 

It was almost 5.45 in the morning. I could smell the dals cooking in the cauldrons. I am glad that I am a part of this organisation that feeds children who otherwise do not get to eat anything nutritious or wholesome in one day. I hope I get the strength to come to this kitchen every day, no matter what situation I am in or what virus hits society.

I will continue working for the betterment of children!

 

Conclusion

This is just a glimpse of what Sridevi’s day in the kitchen is; this goes on every single day. Employees of Akshaya Patra work tirelessly, day after another to ensure that young children are fed with hot and nutritious meals. Donate online to support this midday meal NGO that feeds 1.8 million children every day.

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.

Food pyramid for middle childhood

 A food pyramid guide helps improve the diet of children aged 2-6 years. Certain quantities of food are recommended for different types of food across age groups of children. Following a set amount of carbohydrates, dairy products, proteins, fat, etc. can help improve children’s health. The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an NGO providing midday meals to children that helps in their overall development – physical and cognitive. Since 2000, wholesome and locally palatable meals are provided to nourish children from low-income sections and it feeds 1.8 million children every day.

NGO battling hunger through midday meal - 1500/- for a child

 

Hunger, in general, limits people from attaining their full potential. When hunger dwells in children, it blocks them from reaching school and keeps them entangled in the poverty-hunger-illiteracy cycle.

Lack of resources and socio-economically challenging backgrounds makes hunger a part of life for millions of people. Among them are children, who are filled with dreams and aspirations, but are held back due to hunger pangs. Many NGOs across the world and in India are addressing the hunger situation in various ways. The Akshaya Patra Foundation is one of the pioneer NGOs in India to address hunger among school-going children by implementing the Midday Meal Programme in a public private partnership model. This programme is a huge boon for children hailing from socio-economically challenging backgrounds. The meals not only satiate their hunger, but also supports education in a significant way.

It has been observed that parents send their children to school due to the assurance that the children will receive at least one full meal for the day. This opens the doorway to a whole new world for children to learn and grow. Impact studies reveal that regular intake of midday meals positively impacts health and learning abilities in school children. Hence, as a midday meal NGO in India, Akshaya Patra makes sure that they serve nutritious meals to all its beneficiaries on each school day. The Foundation has partnered with the Central Government of India and various State Governments to benefit more and more children across the country.

Akshaya Patra not only addresses hunger, but hidden hunger too!

Hidden hunger is caused due to deficiency of essential vitamins and micronutrients. It affects billions of people worldwide and is a cause of concern for national and international organisations. Unbalanced or poor diet that lacks nutrition is the main reason behind hidden hunger and can adversely affect children and adults. So, it’s not only about tackling hunger, but hidden hunger too. Often times, the diet of the marginalised sections is based on staple food such as rice, wheat, maize, potato, etc. that are easily available and affordable. Though these food items fill the stomach, they lack in vitamins and minerals. So, as an implementor of the Midday Meal Programme, Akshaya Patra takes utmost care to provide wholesome and nutrient-rich meals to school children.

 

To ensure every meal meets the nutritional requirement, Akshaya Patra adheres to the dietary norms of the Central Mid-Day Meal Scheme. As a midday meal NGO in India, Akshaya Patra aims to ensure that every child consumes their daily school meals readily and receives adequate nutrition. So, the Foundation follows a locally palatable cyclic menu. The recipes of Akshaya Patra contains a variety of cereals, pulses, green leafy vegetables, seasonal vegetables, fruits, curd, as well as milk-based sweets.

 

The efforts of Akshaya Patra in the battle against hunger gets mirrored in the myriad of ambitions and strong willpower of 18,00,907 children studying in 19,039 schools across 58 locations of 13 States and 1 Union Territory.

 

Join the battle against hunger and give children the opportunity they deserve. Support this NGO in India to bring more children under its umbrella of service. By contributing an online donation of ₹1500, you can instantly safeguard a child from classroom hunger for an entire year as well as support their health, education, and aspiration. In addition, you will also become an active contributor for the larger good of the world. When you uphold health and right to education of children, you directly help in attaining UN SDGs – Quality Education, Zero Hunger, Good Health & Well-being, Decent Work & Economic Growth, and No Poverty.

 

You are just a click away from creating impact 
through Midday Meal Programme. Act now!

Welcome New Year 2022 with Akshaya Patra

 Come, share your happiness in welcoming the new year 2022 and be a part of Akshaya Patra s noble venture to feed nutritious midday meal to school children. Akshaya Patra is an NGO in India which is striving hard to provide food for education

Rejuvenating health of children

 

Praveen Kumar is a mid-day meal beneficiary who studies in 6^th grade of GHPS, Siddeshwaranagar, Dharwad, Karnataka. During the lockdown period, he missed his school, teachers, friends and having mid-day meals (MDM). To support the health, immunity, hygiene and education of such children, The Akshaya Patra Foundation initiated The Happiness Kit Programme when the midday meal scheme was paused. Children like Praveen received food essentials from this NGO in India that would help them gain the required nutrition when schools were closed.

 

Praveen is happy to be back to school and meet his friends and teachers. He is particularly excited about enjoying the midday meals served in school.

 

Akshaya Patra focuses on food consumption by beneficiary school children and ensures the midday meal nutrition requirements by providing adequate amounts of nutrients like protein and energy as per the given MDM guidelines.

 

A cooked mid-day meal provides:

Components	Primary	Upper Primary
Calories	450 Cal	700 Cal
Protein	12 gm	20 gm
Micro-nutrients	Adequate quantities of micro-nutrients like Iron, Folic Acid, Vitamin-A, etc.

The recipes used by Akshaya Patra contain different food groups (Cereals, pulse, vegetables, spices, sugars and jaggery, oils, etc.) to ensure that the nutrients are received by the beneficiary group.

 

The recipes are standardized by calculating nutritive values by referring to the book - Nutritive value of Indian foods by C Gopalan, BV Rama Sastri and SC Balasubramanian-National institute of Nutrition ICMR Hyderabad) and recipes are analysed in external NABL-accredited labs.

 

INNOVATIVE MENU DESIGNED AS PER THE MIDDAY MEAL SCHEME

Akshaya Patra has adopted innovative approaches to enhance the nutrient content of the MDM menu and increase its consumption. One such approach is to add a third item and introduce sweets and pickles in various locations. Another approach is to make the existing items more palatable and interesting. These elements enhance the taste and offset the menu fatigue that might set in children. The menu has a variety of flavours, such as sweet, spicy, etc.

New Product Development Centres (NPDC) have also been set up to make mid-day meals more nutritious and interesting by developing new recipes and opting for in-recipe modifications.

 

AKSHAYA PATRA SERVES HEALTHY SNACKS

 

These snacks are a hit among children who receive locally palatable meals. They enjoy these seasonal fruits that they can snack upon in the evening while they go back home. Every meal is prepared in a hygienic manner with great caution.

 

The Foundation has centralised and decentralised kitchens in 58 locations spread across 13 states & 1 union territory of India. The kitchens are known for their efficiency and efficacy. Every centralised kitchen is automated and can cook close to 6,000 kg of rice, 4.5-5 tonnes of vegetables and 6,000 litres of sambar in only 4 hours. To ensure that the waste generated in the kitchens are discarded in a safe manner, the NGO in India has set up anaerobic digestion plants to produce biogas. This biogas is then used as cooking fuel for seasoning, etc.

 

AKSHAYA PATRA’S COOKING PROCESS

After meeting the FQMS process that includes Supplier Selection, Supplier Qualification, Supplier Rating, etc., a set quantity of raw materials are procured. The Quality Control process ensures that all the raw materials are accepted only after a thorough Quality Inspection. The raw materials are procured only if they meet all the Raw Material Specifications that are adapted from Food Safety Standards Act 2006 (FSSA). To ensure that all the raw materials are fresh, the kitchens follow the FIFO (First In First Out) and FEFO (First Expiry First Out) methods. With this method, it can properly identify, store and aptly retrieve the raw materials.

 

·         The operations of the kitchens start early in the morning around 4-5 am.

·         The kitchen employees begin cleaning all the pulses, rice and vegetables with water.

·         All the helpers begin cutting vegetables and preparing for the meals. The vegetable cutting machines finely chop other vegetables like potato and onion, while the vegetable peelers skin out vegetables like potato, radish, carrots, etc.

·         Recipes are standardised across the kitchens so that safety, hygiene and taste are not compromised.

 

The vessels used in the cooking process are made of stainless steel of 304 food grade. All the equipment used in the kitchen, including cauldrons, trolleys, rice chutes, sambar and dal tanks, knives, etc. are made of SS-304 grade. This ensures that no hazardous material or toxins enter the food that is cooked for the nourishment of children.

·         Once the food is prepared, they are loaded onto insulated vessels that are waiting to be filled in the conveyor belt.

·         A quality check, temperature check is carried out at regular intervals

·         These vessels are then packed, sealed and loaded onto the delivery vans.

 

Delivery vans are designed in a manner that retains heat, avoids spillage and has more capacity to deliver to many schools. The specially built delivery vehicles are insulated to preserve the ideal temperature, are dust-free, and aid in the preservation of the meals' freshness. Akshaya Patra customises its delivery vehicles with insulated bodies and honeycomb constructed racks to carry large containers.

 

When these delivery vans reach Government and Government-aided schools well before the lunch break, the food remains hot. This means that children can enjoylocally palatable meals that are fresh, nutritious and hot on their plate. Support the feeding of school children coming from challenging backgrounds with your online donations.

 

Write to us if you want to know about which food item is served in which state.

Five benefits of donating

                     When you engage in any charitable act, it reflects the

compassionate, humane, and responsible side of you.

Often, we get caught up in the regular humdrum of life; we get so busy that we tend to overlook those who are in need of our support. While attending to our regular responsibilities and fulfilling the required duties, we miss to nurture the benevolent and compassionate traits in us. This is where NGOs come into play. NGOs are organisations that work at the ground level to bring about a tangible and sustainable change in the society. The work of these organisations encompasses issues related to empowerment, social development, environment protection, health, education, poverty, hunger and similar issues. Hence, by engaging with NGOs, be it in the capacity of a volunteer, donor, knowledge partner or a goodwill ambassador, you can create a huge impact.

In view of the significant role that NGOs play, even the government encourages individuals and businesses to engage with and
contribute to charitable organisations!

The Income Tax Policy of Government of India clearly supports philanthropic contributions made towards charitable organisations and NGOs. As per Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, monetary contributions made towards a registered NGO or a charitable organisation qualifies to receive tax exemption on the donated amount. Whether the donor receives 100% exemption or 50% exemption on the donated amount depends on the cause and work of the charitable organisation.

Tax deductible donations have five benefits:

1.    Aids the beneficiary NGO in its operations and helps the organisation to sustain and expand its service.

2.    Positively impacts lives of beneficiaries of the NGO.

3.    Upholds the values of compassion and generosity, as well as instils a sense of ‘giving back to the society’.  

4.    Uplifts the community by making people aware, responsible, and a part of the solution for various issues.

5.    Makes the donor eligible to receive tax exemption.

NGOs understand the worth of each penny and
ensures that the donation funds are utilised in the right way.

No matter what issue the NGO is working for, every bit of your support will be valued and looked forward to. So, you can choose to support an NGO depending on the cause you identify with most. For instance, if you want to support education and health of children hailing from socio-economically challenging backgrounds, then you can support NGOs like The Akshaya Patra Foundation that accept tax deductible donations. Akshaya Patra is one of the pioneer NGOs in India to start implementing the Midday Meal Programme. It has been providing nutritious school lunch to children in government schools and government-aided schools for the past 21 years. 

Currently, Akshaya Patra provides regular midday meals to 18,00,907 children studying in 19,039 schools across 58 locations of 13 States and 1 Union Territory. When you donate to this NGO:

1.      You make nutritious food accessible to children, support their education, and help them to progress towards their dreams and goals.

2.      The midday meals contribute to the overall development of children by enhancing their concentration and improving their performance in academics and co-curricular activities.

3.      These meals improve attendance and reduces drop-out rate, thereby ensuring continuity in education.

4.      You create a lasting impact in the lives of young, determined, and aspirational children.

5.      You become eligible to receive tax exemption on your donated amount (applicable for donation of ₹500 and above).

Considering the cause and the diligence in financial transparency, Akshaya Patra is considered among the best NGO in India to donate to.

In conclusion, your one moment of compassion and contribution can create a phenomenal difference in the society. So, while you go about fulfilling the necessary responsibilities, do attend to your benevolent side too! Get double the benefit for making tax deductible donations – to support children by doing good while you save tax.