On her way to a PhD!

We’ve always known that The Akshaya Patra Foundation’s mid-day meal programme has the power to transform lives, and here’s the proof. Saraswati, a beneficiary of the programme throughout high school recently walked into the Akshaya Patra office to have a chat with us on the direction her life has taken, since school.

Now 22 years old, Saraswati has finished her Master’s degree and is on her way to pursuing her PhD in Bio Technology. Inspired to focus hard on her education at the tender age of 13 when her sister had to drop out of school to get married, Saraswati seized the opportunity provided through the school mid-day meal option to complete her education and live an independent life.

The second out of six children Saraswati made sure she got excellent grades through school, but found herself floundering when she joined an English medium pre-university college. However help arrived in the form of a wonderful support group. “My friends would sit with me and discuss whatever was being taught in class. They would make sure I have understood everything and were very patient with all my doubts and queries. Had it not been for them, I would have left college long ago, at the junior level,” she says.

The mid-day meal programme didn’t just turn Saraswati’s life around, it helped her entire family. Now her younger sister is studying engineering in information science in Bangalore, her brother is finishing the third semester of Arts degree, and her two other brothers are in pre university college and standard eight respectively.

Almost all of the children in Saraswati’s family have been beneficiaries of the Akshaya Patra mid-day meal programme and reaped the benefits. “The midday meal was of great support to all of us including our parents,” says Saraswati. Today she aspires to do research in oncology and better the lives of cancer patients. She also hopes to become a Professor and share her knowledge with those who are enthusiastic about education just like her.

Meeting her was an experience that none of us at The Akshaya Patra Foundation will forget. She is a reminder of everything we work for as an organisation and proof that perseverance and compassion can be the driving force of change, and we wish Saraswati luck in all her endeavours in life.

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