Tuesday, 27 September 2022
Reducing Child Malnutrition with healthy meals
Malnourishment is a silent killer that does not spare even the lives of little children. It is one of the major causes of death of children under the age of five.
Malnutrition is the cause of death of close to half the children in Asia and Africa below five years.
Insufficient nutrition increases susceptibility to various infections and leads to delayed recovery. Three important factors that estimate malnourishment are stunting (low height with respect to age), wasting (low weight for height) and underweight (low weight for age).
Malnourishment in childhood reduces the quality of
adulthood
The first 1000 days of a
child’s life decide if the child is more likely to be healthy or suffer from
malnutrition. This means to say that, poor nutrition of a mother during her
pregnancy could lead to a stunted childhood. These stunted children tend to be
shorter and weaker. They often have impaired mental development and also tend
to perform low in school making them more likely to take up low-payment jobs.
Hence, they are unable to provide for their children.
Thus it is imperative to work towards nourishing the present generation of children so that they can contribute directly to the health of the next one.
According to the World Bank, close to 1/3rd of stunted children (below 5 years), live in India.
PM POSHAN Abhiyaan (earlier
known as the MidDay Meal Scheme) is one intervention that could reduce
these numbers drastically.
Let us take the example of person ‘X’ from a
low-income family. He is a daily-wage worker whose salary or savings is not
enough to take care of his wife and children. To become a helping hand to the
family’s financial situation, he sends his child to work so that he can get
some more money for the family’s food. He does not give a choice to his child
to choose.
Now, let’s think of another situation where ‘Y’ is a
daily-wage worker who is struggling to make ends meet to feed his family of
three (along with his wife and child). They are aware of the Government’s MDM
scheme and send their child to a nearby Government school with the thought that
at least the child will be able to enjoy one proper, wholesome meal once a day.
By doing so, they are playing a major role in the child’s education too. These
school meals become a reason for the child to attend school without missing
even a single day.
This is the power of school
meals.
Midday meals (MDM) served as a part of this programme not only give an incentive for parents to send their children to school but also become a reason for children to get educated for the long term.
Providing nutrition; food for children
Mid-day meals become a source
of nutrition in children. They help in their physical and cognitive
development. How?
Here’s how:
- School meals take
care of all the essential nutritional requirements of a child. It helps the
child develop in a healthy manner. These meals provided as a part of the PM POSHAN
Abhiyaan, take care of carbohydrates, essential fats, proteins, fortified
salt, etc.
- Meals nourish
children inside-out, providing them with the right energy to expend it by
participating in various sports and co-curricular activities. A well-nourished
child can play well when compared to a malnourished child.
- It reduces risk the
of diseases providing good immunity. Meals prevent diseases like anaemia,
partial blindness and give them the strength to fight common diseases like
cold, flu, etc.
- Free school meals give them access to education. When children start coming to school on a regular basis, they also get tuned to receiving education on a daily basis.
NGOs play a major role in the implementation the of provision of mid-day meals. The Akshaya Patra Foundation is one such organisation that helps children from low-income sections gain the above benefits. It has been serving school meals since 2000 and has grown from feeding 1,500 children to close to 2 million children every day.
Donate online to such NGOs that play an important role to nourish
children. You never know how your help could transform the lives of either
children or their families or a community on the whole.
Extend your support in whichever way possible. Because no support is small help, it has the potential to change lives.
Friday, 23 September 2022
Kitchen With A Heart- Vasanthapura, Bengaluru
This film explores the other facets of an Akshaya Patra kitchen besides brick, mortar and steel. It explores hope, compassion, service and the lives connected to the kitchen, as part of a community.
Akshaya Patra Kitchen | Bhuj, Gujarat
The film is about the Akshaya Patra kitchen in Bhuj, Gujarat. Currently, Bhuj kitchen serves hot, nutritious, safe and tasty mid-day meal to 23,500 children every day in 177 schools across the Bhuj region.
A Story of Transformation | Geetha L Olekar
This film is a glimpse into the life of Geetha L Olekar, an associate implementation engineer working at Q2 Software. Geetha was a beneficiary of the mid-day meal programme, implemented by The Akshaya Patra Foundation, during her school days. She also received scholarships facilitated by Akshaya Patra. The scholarships helped Geetha complete her higher studies.
Thursday, 22 September 2022
Feed people in Hunger Action Month I Akshaya Patra
This Hunger Action Month, use this opportunity to take a firm stand to make Zero Hunger possible with Akshaya Patra. Support to fight all forms of hunger by providing nutritious meals with your contribution.
Feed people in Hunger Action Month
Tuesday, 20 September 2022
Back To School - Power of Hot Meals | Akshaya Patra Foundation
Eighth standard student of GMPS Unkal, Karnataka, Sinchana S, is extremely happy to be back to school after months. While at home, she missed her friends, teachers, the hot lunch, games and fun. “I am happy that I can come back to school. I can now enjoy with my friends, study and eat well. I don’t like eating vegetables at home but the vegetables that we get in school for lunch is very tasty and I eat them without any fuss,” she says.
Know more : https://www.akshayapatra.org/video-gallery/back-to-school-power-of-hot-meals
