Showing posts with label Food for Education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food for Education. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

NGOs Can Make Education Better By Introducing Innovative Teaching Methods

Innovative teaching methodologies are the spirit of the times we live in. Be it private institutions, or the government-funded education system, there have been concerted efforts to make teaching as relevant as possible so that they meet the needs of the day.

Brain research has shown that certain methods and approaches can indeed enhance the learning process. By applying innovative learning and engaging techniques to classes is a win-win for both students and teachers.

Education for children

Finding new and innovative methods of teaching is a crucial skill for high school teachers and The Akshaya Patra Foundation is supportive of innovations in education. Apart from different teaching methods, nutritious food also plays an important role in helping children absorb lessons. Over 1.6 million children across 12 states of India are benefitting from the school lunch programme.

Any efforts making education enjoyable for children should not be considered as charity for children. It’s a necessity and it’s the duty of the current generation.

Generational need

The children of today have shown they are capable of doing more than what the school needs them to. It is hence an opportunity for innovations rather than merely speeding up with the syllabus and this might not bear fruit.

Students are now being encouraged to express their opinions and are taught using mediums they are comfortable with. Rather than being stuck to their chairs, teachers are now nurturing tomorrow's leaders, rather than mere robots.

The transition is not going to be easy as education is a state subject and hence each state has to do more with less. However, this is not a suitable model for educational institutes, especially today when students are more dependent on technology.

But for advancements to be introduced successfully, stronger incentives need to be given.

Different Measures

One of the ways these two concepts can come together is through the Bond Measure. It is a method that creates innovative learning environments by re-thinking school designs. The ideas can provide students a thriving and fertile ground for their own ideas by providing them flexible spaces that can support a range of learning styles.

Such environments can foster learning and offer students choices on the type of education they prefer. This is in concurrence to what is called an Opportunity Culture, and it is different from traditional modes of education and school structures. This concept uses age and job redesign and technology suitable for the young minds.

The successful teachers are educationists who ensure enough progress each year to close the achievement gaps and who allowed their students to make significant progress.

Besides increasing the reach of influential instructors, this innovative culture also opens new channels of learning for the teachers themselves. Here there’s a Role of NGOs in ensuring that the new methods of teaching and learning are accessible even to the economically-challenged sections and is not restricted to the upper echelons of the society.

Most of the jobs that result from the Opportunity Culture are team-based and they also provide teachers school daytime planning and associations they need on a priority basis. In addition, this teaching culture can result in massive cost savings, which can go to paying excellent teachers the amount they are worth.

In the new methods of teaching, teachers can become leaders in the classroom rather than just instructors while leading multi-classroom teams and aiding students in developing their individual skills.

This, in turn, can motivate them to go above and beyond the call of duty to aid their students in becoming the best version of themselves, a concept that is the complete opposite of what traditional and arcane education represented.

Along with innovative teaching methodologies, pledge to feed the children with wholesome meal. Also enjoy tax exemptions. Donate today.

Thursday, December 22, 2016

How Effective are Food for Education Programmes

If you’re reading this, you should call yourself fortunate. If going back home reminds you of delicious home-cooked food, you should call yourself fortunate. You’re fortunate because you’ve had the opportunity to learn and you’ve always got a tiffin box to carry in your bag or some money in the pocket for buying lunch.

Not many know that India is a home to 33% of world’s undernourished children. How can we not think of helping them? When you’ve more than you need, you should build a bigger table, not a higher fence. Seeing the present context, we need more supporters and food for education programs to get down to showing deep concern, spreading awareness, donating funds and providing healthy meals as an incentive to boost enrolment.

Akshaya Patra recently published its NGO annual report 2015-16 which gives insights into how the organisation reaches out to millions of children. Here’s how Akshaya Patra set forth in the path of reaching out to millions of children and are changing their lives.

A growth that’s no less than massive

Akshaya Patra has grown slowly and steadily. From 1,500 children a day to over 1.6 million children, the growth has been rising. It demonstrates that the role of NGO has always been aboard and determinant toward the goal of providing unlimited food for education. They’ve gone the extra mile, not only in well-managed technology, logistics, quality, and finance but also in strategies for sustainable working. The Foundation has gained trust of the philanthropic donors and beneficiaries as well.

Food for Education motivates children to pursue their dreams

Food for education

Children from the marginalised sections of society often wait to pursue their dreams. Food for Education programmes help them in doing this. The blue buses at Akshaya Patra not only carry freshly cooked nutritious meals to 1.6 million children across India but also the smile and hope to get good food. Ambitious beneficiaries like Dashrath Chauhan, Anjali Batti, Saraswathi, and Chetan are some of our much prized stories of hope.

Involvement of public

It is essential for a public-private relationship based organisation to have provisions for public’s involvement. Without the generous help from well-wishers, it is not possible for an NGO to function at all. These organisations act as a medium for the society to show compassion towards the needy. Akshaya Patra provides several opportunities such as fundraising, campaigning, volunteering, partnering and donating online to get involved in this endeavor of eradicating undernourishment and ensuring access to education for all. For accomplishing its mission of feeding 5 million children by 2020, Akshaya Patra gives a shout-out to everyone who is willing to help those in dire need.

Akshaya Patra, an NGO based in Bengaluru, runs Mid-Day Meal Programme in 11 states of India.

To read in Hindi, visit: about NGO in Hindi.

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Food and Education: A Solution for India

According to the famous theory ‘Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs’ food is one of the most fundamental needs—if hunger is not solved, it becomes impossible for humans to reach higher standards of needs like education. This theory asks us a simple question: Will a child be able to sit in a classroom with an empty stomach?

Food for Education

In an attempt to relieve children from classroom hunger, The Akshaya Patra Foundation began providing mid-day meals to government school children in India to ensure they receive both nutrition as well as education. The role of NGOs in India is increasing every day to reduce the nation’s socio-economic issues—lack of education being one of them. The Foundation believes that food for education will contribute to achieving economic stability in the long-run and will also improve every section of the society. 15 years ago, Akshaya Patra began serving mid-day meals to only 1500 school children. Today, it has progressed to more than 1.5 million children across 10 states in India making it the world’s largest (non-for-profit) run Mid-Day Meal Programme in India.

There are two ways many children in India are benefitting from Akshaya Patra’s mid-day meals—a wholesome meal every day to be on the healthier side and uninterrupted education despite the financial hurdles at home. Akshaya Patra has been working along with the Government of India and State Governments to reduce the number of children exposed to severe hunger. The combined and continuous efforts with the government have resulted in tremendous opportunities for children to attend school; for it is education that projects a secure future.

For India as a developing nation, feeding the future is a mission. The Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2008 states that more than 200 million people in India go hungry every day making food sufficiency an urgent priority. Despite economic progress over the decade, the report still highlights the severe hunger situation in India.

India has many challenges to fight. Solutions are many. However, if the country continues to focus on two aspects – food and education, the results can be what Planning Commission of India has envisioned for 2020—achieving 100 per cent school enrolment of all children.

It is also The Akshaya Patra Foundation’s mission to target 5 million children everyday by 2020 and ensuring that these children are able to concentrate better in classrooms. You can get involve by joining Akshaya Patra in raising awareness about the programme as well as contributing to the cause. All it takes is Rs. 750 to feed a school going child and you can help us too.



You can download Akshaya Patra Mobile App to support the foundation cause. Download the app on Android and iOS store.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Fighting Malnutrition Back

It’s indeed sad to know that 42.5 percent of children in India are malnourished, means every second child is underserved. While 11% of the population is over nourished. The number of malnourished children in India is the highest across the world. Does India have less food when compared to the rest of the nations? No

Malnutrition Children

It’s a paradox of abundance and diversity between the rich and poor is huge. The situation is really grave and people need to act fast. Many programmes have been initiated with the same objective of feeding every child of India. The Mid-day meal scheme by The Akshaya Patra Foundation is one amongst them.

The organisation is dedicated to fighting hunger and malnutrition in India. By implementing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in government schools and government aided schools, Akshaya Patra aims to provide nutritious food to children as well as promote education every day.

Food for Children

Operating kitchens in 24 locations across 10 states in India, It caters to over 1.4 million children every day. The number is huge by all account but it still has a long way to go when India comes into the picture. There are millions of children still underserved and malnourished and without access to proper education. To see an India where classroom hunger is history and every child is well fed, healthy and smart, people intervention is of utmost importance.

The fight cannot be a one organisation’s battle. It has to a coordinated approach with proper support and funding. The programme is of course expanding successfully due to the crucial and fruitful partnership with the Government of India and various State Governments, and support people from every walk of life.

Akshaya Patra believes in eliminating classroom hunger from India and preventing malnutrition from creeping up and affecting children through its tireless effort. But, the reality can only happen when you join the cause and fight together against this social evil.



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Wednesday, July 29, 2015

What drives people to connect and contribute to a NGO?

What is the NGO all about? What does it do? Is it making a difference? How is it using funds in what it does? Why is it doing, what it does? Can it be trusted? These are a few of the palpable questions in one’s mind before making decision to act upon supporting a NGO.

Food for Education

 As Akshaya Patra, as a world renowned NGO, what is the impact we are generating to make people act and help it make a change? What is our identity? It says we run the world largest NGO-run mid-day meal programme. The answer itself gives birth to many more questions which need to be answered. Are we building a personal connect with the people? When we say we are feeding millions of children in an effort to eliminate classroom hunger. When we say we nourish minds and nurture dreams. When we say we provide unlimited food for education. Are those enough to paint a real picture?

Questions need to be answered at the right time with the right information so the organisation stands out amongst other. Many people support because they connect with the work Akshaya Patra does. Helping children every day with nutritious food, yes! It builds that connection with many people. But there are others who look in for more before they decide to lend a hand. Some try to find out what’s in for them. One may say,

“Yes! I am making a difference in children’s lives for the better is good enough for me.”

Or the fact that one get 100% tax exemption when one makes a donation above rs.500 make a positive impact to react. Or issues The Akshaya Patra Foundation is constantly trying to mitigate make one extend a helping hand. Some people asked about how the funds are spent, and Akshaya Patra has proper and unadulterated answers which make people get a clear picture. That does make a good impression. Akshaya Patra is the only NGO to be inducted in the ICAI Hall of Fame for winning the Gold Shield Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting five years in a row. That shows the commitment the organisation has on being transparent.

Donate for Charity

Akshaya Patra as an NGO in India needs to answer any and every questions related to its work and cause because that is what will drive people to connect and contribute to the organisation.





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Friday, March 13, 2015

VGL contributes to Akshaya Patra



The Vaibhav Group of Companies has teamed up with Akshaya Patra to promote the cause of food for education. Through their one-for-one initiative VGL will contribute towards one Akshaya Patra tasty, nutritious mid-day meal, for every item sold from VGL’s The Jewellery Channel (TJC) UK! Through this campaign TJC has already donated Rs.10 lakh to Akshaya Patra and will support the Foundation’s mid-day meals for 14,000 children for the entire year.

To kickstart this campaign the Managing Director of TJC, UK Colin Wagstaffe and other representatives toured the Akshaya Patra kitchen in Jaipur, and served food to the beneficiary students in the region.
This is yet another example for the good that can be achieved through corporates taking on an active role in addressing social issues in the country. By making this generous contribution to Akshaya Patra, VGL is contributing directly towards combating the deadly issue of classroom hunger in India.

Currently this electronic retailer of jewellery and lifestyle products is running its main manufacturing outlet in Jaipur, while running sourcing offices in China, Hong Kong, Thailand and Indonesia.

To support the cause of eliminating classroom hunger in India, make a donation to The Akshaya Patra Foundation here.@ donate to ngo

Friday, September 12, 2014

Feed the hungry – Fighting malnutrition in India

 

Today malnutrition is an epidemic that affects people in every corner of the world. Predominantly found in third world countries, malnutrition prevents nations struggling to evolve from making progress. India is one of the developing countries that struggle greatly with the issue of malnutrition amongst its population, especially amongst the children.

There are 400 million children residing in India, and of this staggering figure every second child is malnourished.

Malnutrition in children primarily occurs as result of poverty and illiteracy.  Parents who have never had the opportunity to attend school find it difficult to maintain regular, reliable jobs to keep their family financially secure. Without access to enough money to even provide for the family’s basic nutritional needs, children grow up malnourished themselves. They in turn have to take up child labour to support the family at the cost of their education, and the cycle of poverty, illiteracy and malnutrition continues.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation works to combat malnutrition and illiteracy in children through their mid-day meal programme. By providing children with nutritious, tasty food in sufficient quantities, Akshaya Patra has succeeded in bringing children back to school, and improving their health in one move.
Studies of the Akshaya Patra mid-day meal have shown that by regular access to the healthy meals children have shown better concentration and academic progress, increased school enrollment and attendance, better nutrition status and reduced school drop-out rates.


It is important for every able person to lend their time, attention and resources to stop this cycle of poverty and malnutrition plaguing the innocent children of India. To help The Akshaya Patra Foundation provide food for education and eliminate classroom hunger, click to donate online.

Follow us: @AkshayaPatra on Twitter | TheAkshayapatraFoundation on Facebook |
 @AkshayaPatraFoundation on Rediff 

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Striving for Excellence

 

Let’s delve into the lives of one of our employees from The Akshaya Patra Foundation! Saudamini Sahoo from our decentralised kitchen at Nayagarh, Odisha, joined the organisation in 2013. She heard about the work the Foundation does in 2007, and had her heart set on joining Akshaya Patra in providing food for education to the underprivileged school children in her locality.

Friday, April 18, 2014

Spread some hope and joy


The Wall of Hope and Joy is round the corner and the adrenalin is high at The Akshaya Patra Foundation. Bringing back the much enjoyed photography exhibition for the second time, the folks at the Foundation are looking forward to an even bigger turn out to this event than last time.

Friday, March 7, 2014

Saluting India’s Women this Women’s Day

Women’s empowerment has always been a cause that The Akshaya Patra Foundation has been conscious of. Though women’s empowerment is not directly associated with the cause of providing Food for Education, Akshaya Patra has always in its own way, worked toward the empowerment of the women in society.

Friday, February 28, 2014

A life beyond Hunger



“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” – Virginia Woolf
A sentiment we all understand from our own personal experiences with hunger. For most of us, hunger is a fleeting sensation, easily satisfied in a quick transaction. But for many in India, around 269.3 million to be more precise, hunger is a way of life.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

The Social Media strategy for multiple marketing tasks

As simplistic and carefree as the world of social media may seem, it is crucial to have a solid social media strategy in place to show concrete results. At The Akshaya Patra Foundation, the social media strategy focuses on the cause of ‘Food for Education’ and its execution is reevaluated every quarter.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Karnataka NGO Provides Mid Day Meals For School Children

The Akshaya Patra Foundation was started in June 2000 in Bangalore. This Foundation implements the mid day meal programme with the mission of feeding 5 million children by 2020. It drives all its work towards its vision of “No child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger”. Though it’s primary cause is to provide mid day meal to Government schools, it emphasises equally on education of the children also. The reason being this it is looking forward to expand its reach to more and more parts of the country.

Currently, Akshaya Patra is feeding children in 19 locations of 9 States of India. Every day it feeds 1.3 million children in more than 9000 Government schools. This feeding programme has had many positive impacts like increase in school enrolment, improved attendance, improved concentration and performance of children, and decreased school drop-out rate.