Are Mid-Day Meals Playing a Role in a Student's Academics?

In the last five decades, literacy has evolved and shaped India in many facets - be it industrialisation, per capita or even the standard of living, literacy takes the credit. When you examine the literacy graph of India and compare numbers, the gradual developments bring a smile – thanks to the government benefits and donations for education in India. While there are many factors that play a role in achieving 100% literacy rate, a children’s NGO, Akshaya Patra, is focusing on enabling a student’s academic performance through food for education initiative – the Mid-Day Meal Programme.

Implemented in 2000, Akshaya Patra’s Mid-Day Meal Programme (food for education initiative) is now the world’s largest NGO-run feeding initiative based out of Bengaluru in Karnataka. Every day, over 1.6 million children are benefitted through this programme which prepares and delivers fresh-nutritious food to 13,260 schools at lunch time. 

Here’s a quick look at two main factors that affect a student’s academic performance:

Learning facilities and environment: It’s rather difficult to expect a child to learn in a classroom without sufficient study materials (text books, notepads, pen, and etcetera) and grasp lessons. It’s more problematic if the school is set up in a noisy surrounding and the exchange between teacher and students is put to a stop. While the government is making continuous efforts to provide provisions to children and build better infrastructure, many NGOs, with the help of education donations, have sprung to lend help to the government in ensuring children excel in their academics.

Socio-economic status: In many scholarly articles and research studies, it has been proved over and again that the socio-economic status of a family is an integral criterion for student’s performance – this includes the family members’ occupation and revenue which defines the economic condition. Akshaya Patra enables many families by providing a resource to their children – mid-day meals – which in turn lessens the strain of feeding a stomach in the house. To ensure the child does not have to bear the responsibilities of earning, the Foundation through its programme encourages every child to attend school and also be assured to eat healthy meals.

Why are Mid-Day Meals a boon to children?

It is a resource that stabilises education.  But along with it come nutrition, good health and well-being, academic achievement and quality performance. Akshaya Patra, with its dynamic initiative to provide food for education, has reached the milestone of serving more than 2 billion meals in the last 16 years. This milestone is a greater encouragement for the Foundation to continue its mission. 

Yes, mid-day meals are a boon to children and for the nation. Here’s why:

- More children enrol in schools

- Promotes socialisation among children

- Reduces classroom hunger

- Enhances a student’s performance (academic, sports and cultural)

A quick thought for the mind: Post-independence, India faced many challenges in the field of Growth and Development. However, through numerous benefit schemes and opportunities, we as nation, are witnessing change in every field. Akshaya Patra’s initiative too intends change. 

We believe every child deserves a fair chance and there is nothing more important than imparting education. Donate for education in India by joining Akshaya Patra in making every school a model of literacy development.

Celebrating Daan Utsav 2016

Daan Utsav – Joy of Giving Week 2016 is here! This week-long event brings many individuals a step closer to donate to charity and helps in making a difference in society. Through noble acts of giving, India’s biggest philanthropic festival inculcates kindness among all of us.

There’s a lot we can do to witness change and we believe change begins with you. Joy of Giving Week is one such platform that gives you opportunities to donate, make a difference and take with you a lasting pride of having contributed to society. Happiness is, after all, an act of giving.

About Akshaya Patra

The Akshaya Patra Foundation, a Bengaluru-based children’s NGO, spreads joy with every meal served. After implementing its Mid-Day Meal Programme in 2000, the organisation’s beneficiary base has increased from 1,500 children to over 1.6 million children. In the last 16 years of its compassionate journey, Akshaya Patra has transformed the lives of many school children. This Daan Utsav, Akshaya Patra pledges to spread happiness with every meal. Help us enable more children to attend school – join us on the mission to feed 5 million children by 2020!

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Every day is a fresh start for school children and teachers. Their days are packed with classes, lessons, assignments, tests, physical activities and so on. A break during the day is where Akshaya Patra comes in – serving nutritious mid-day meals to these enthusiastic children who fearlessly dream of their future. Mid-day meals bring joy.

While India celebrates Joy of Giving week, read these testimonials by Akshaya Patra’s beneficiaries – every testimonial is an assurance that Mid-Day Meal Programme is indeed a boon for children.

“Joining the army will bring me a sense of pride. To fight for the country is the duty of every citizen in India. My dream started with my History lessons, where I was inspired by the many freedom fighters during India’s war for Independence. Many have fought for this country. Why can’t I do the same? I feel I am indebted to my country and I would like to serve my nation as an army officer. I love Akshaya Patra food for it gives me strength.”

- Darshan, Karnataka

“I enjoy the Akshaya Patra mid-day meal on all days but my favourite is Wednesdays and Saturdays. We get pulao, khichdi and kheer, which are my favourites. At home, my mother doesn’t cook these delicacies because we can’t afford it. When I grow up, I want to become an actress and act in Assamese movies. Someday, I want to travel the world with my family.”

- Pithali, Assam

“The mid-day meal has been a great relief for the parents. They feel that the children will at least get a nutritious meal if they attend school. Though the menu changes every day, the students look forward to eating dal-chawal, dal-dhokli, khichdi and sukhdi served by The Akshaya Patra Foundation. The children are able to enjoy the teaching process, since they are more attentive in class. They actively take part in various inter school sports activities too. The Mid-Day Meal Programme has positively impacted the children’s health in school.”

- Reshmi Patel, Teacher, Gujarat

Read all the stories at our website: Joy of Giving Week

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India’s biggest philanthropic event ends in a few days. Let’s take this opportunity to make a difference by donating to charity. Get involved in a cause today.

Go Beyond Likes. Act Now!

How many of us go beyond liking a social cause post or appreciating such kind of initiative on social media? Do we make a difference after like a post? UNICEF last year rolled out a 43-second powerful video on hunger awareness ‘Likes don’t save lives.’ It compels you to think hard about the real issues plaguing our world. 

A country’s future lies in its children’s future. And sadly, hunger has been found to be the leading cause of children’s death in India. Also, a study finds that nearly 3,000 children die in India every day because they are underfed. Many children NGOs thus have taken up this cause on war-footing.

With Akshaya Patra, you can physically make a difference in just Rs 950, impacting a child’s life for a whole academic year. Being a Children’s NGO, we are making diligent efforts and taking strong steps to stop hunger. We have already served wholesome meals to over 2 million children so far and still counting. On an everyday basis, we feed more than 1.6 million children in 13,210 schools through our mid-day meal programme. Currently, we are present across 11 states in India.

Here’s how you can do more and make the real impact:

Help a child realise his dream 

Do you think any social issue could be solved by just liking a post? The answer is obviously a no - it won’t have any actual impact. The real difference lies in missions such as that of Akshay Patra that’s accelerating efforts to feed  5 million children per day by year 2020 along with creating wide awareness on hunger. It is our vision to witness a hunger-free India where children are rightfully provided with food and education. It’s a value that’s embedded in all of our staff, volunteers, donors and leaders. Here’s where you can nourish an actual dream of a child and become a true blessing for someone.

Choose to act today

At times, liking a post is a temporary rush to make a difference. While they do create awareness a large scale, the empathy you feel towards the issue eventually subsides. While social media is indeed a great and convenient platform to share, discuss and understand the surroundings, it is also our responsibility to choose to act. A small gesture of volunteering or contribution would bring a child to school.

You can become an NGO Volunteer and practically implement what you have been wanting for years.

Engage at a deeper level

We do spread the word through social media but we aren’t dependent on it. We encourage our donors and volunteers to increase their awareness on hunger by taking actions. The reason why we publish all of our activities and share them transparently is because we do not want just funds for the cause but we want hearts and minds too.  An amount of just Rs. 950 amounts to saving one child from hunger for one entire year.

Akshaya Patra allows you to make both online and offline donations. Help us feed more children and contribute in eliminating child hunger. That’s how you can truly get involved and really stop hunger. You never know how the kind of impact you create can inspire hope and positivity in a child’s life. Begin donating today!