Are we prepared to lead our country towards positive development?

In the Budget 2016, the total allocation to the ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) was ₹17,408 crore. This included ₹413 crore for funding the National Nutrition Mission, which addresses the maternal and child malnutrition issues.

At present, the government looks after pregnant women in the high-burden districts of India, these districts are defined by their backwardness and their lack of basic facilities. But, the new scheme will be for all families living below the poverty line across the country.

This will ensure that children across the country have equal chances for a healthy growth through access to good and nutritious food.

The Indian demography

India's population that stands over 1.25 billion is expected to become the world's most populous country, overtaking China by 2022. A good percentage of the Indian population, though, does not have access to all the resources are expected to live a very happy and healthy life in the near future. However, currently, the impact of this lack of resources is acutely experienced by the most vulnerable section of the society, the children.

The school lunch provided by The Akshaya Patra Foundation has ensured that no child is deprived of their basic need for nutritious food. Feeding the children is one of chief aims of the Foundation. The main aim is to free a child from the shackles of hunger and help them focus in classroom. A child need not to worry
about a meal.

Power of a full stomach

While a child may be deprived of the required nutrition, it is not just the physical development that would be affected, but also the mental development. A lack of adequate nutrition could affect the intellectual growth because of the less number of micro-nutrients that are necessary for the mental development.

Hence, ensuring adequate nutrition in the food is important not just for an individual, but also for the country as a whole. That is because today's young children are the future of the country. Hence, it's extremely important to feed the children and ensuring they don't have to worry about food, they will be able to focus on their studies alone. And, mentally healthy children would grow up to be healthy adults and for a country to have healthy citizens, this is imperative.

Future Focus

The future is about knowledge economies. To establish a country as a knowledge economy, it's necessary that its citizens are knowledgeable and mentally healthy.

In the knowledge economy, it’s about the intellectual prowess of the citizens of a nation that will define its success. By using the collective intellect of the citizens, India will be able to stand up and grow up to be a rich nation by being able to develop on all fronts.

Akshaya Patra, which plays a role in the intellectual development of the country, is a channel for anyone to contribute towards charity for children who are in need. This will provide you a path to directly play a role in ensuring a bright future for the country.

Let’s feed the children and end classroom hunger

Investing in early childhood nutrition is a definite strategy whose returns are quite high. Feeding the children with nutritious food should be made mandatory in every country. One part of the world suffers the challenges of obese children while many others struggle to feed the children. In both cases, what needs to be highlighted is that a balanced nutrition contributes in keeping the body healthy and in shape.

School nutrition is thus an integral part of children’s lives since one of the three main meals are consumed in schools. So when NGOs such as Akshaya Patra set out on a mission to feed the hungry, they were thinking of schools and how to connect nutrition with education. As the Foundation strives to feed millions of children who may go hungry, the purpose of education is served simultaneously. 

Nutrition and mental growth

Of course there has been a growing awareness about nutrition, and towards feeding the children, there are still several parts of India where food needs to reach the children. In its mission of feeding the hungry by serving wholesome lunch to school goers, Akshaya Patra found a growing interest among children in not only attending the school but also participating in various academic and extra-curricular activities.

When the children don’t get nourishment, they often find themselves feeling physically dull and complaining. That’s precisely why the organisation stresses donors to get involved or to sponsor a child so each of these children get a chance at both good nutrition and education. Shortage of nutrition such as iron and iodine impairs cognitive development among children. Thus, the meals served are rich in these two nutrients.

Brain foods 

One of the many reasons why feeding the children should be stressed more than anything is that the duration of the shortage of nutrition also plays a vital role in a child’s cognitive development. Children that do not have access to consistent supply of nutritious food are found to be with certain learning disorders. Yogurt, green vegetables, nuts and pulses are some of the brain foods that are recommended by nutritionists for the healthy growth of a child. The meals served by Akshaya Patra are especially prepared keeping these brain foods in mind.

Behavioural development

The pre-school years are considered to be quite dramatic and crucial postnatal brain development period. Here’s when children develop working memory, attention and inhibitory control. Primary school years, on the other hand, have a significant contribution in developing behavioural skills wherein nutritious diet plays a major part.

Keeping these facts in mind, we emphasise upon not only serving wholesome lunch to school children but also spreading awareness about nutrition for children in general. Our donors are made aware of the kind of meals that are needed for children so that they practise a healthy diet even around their own environment. You are welcome to join the cause and contribute. Donate today.

5 Threats to Child’s Well-Being

Children innocently dream about becoming a doctor, a scientist, an astronaut etc. regardless of their families’ social or financial status. They dream of owning a large house and eating in lavish hotels upon growing up even if they’re homeless and hungry in the present. Often, many of these dreams get shattered because of undermined development and helplessness. Being capable, we should help these children to get a better livelihood by doing some charity fundraising. Akshaya Patra, one of the top NGOs in India, gives us an opportunity to provide roots and wings to these kids. It identifies the following as the major threats to children’s well-being and strives for their outright eradication.

Undernourishment

Undernourished kids cannot grow into healthy adults. Hence, good physical, mental and emotional health of children should be ensured by providing them with all the vital nutrients daily. This stimulates their growth and makes them fit.  Each of 2.12 billion meals that Akshaya Patra has served so far has been as per the dietary norms of Central Mid-day Meal Scheme. Its mission is to serve 5 million children by 2020 while securing them a healthy life. Such visionary organisation should be supported.

No access to education

The only way to gain knowledge, fulfill one’s dreams and earn a better livelihood is by gaining education. If lack of money and resources become a hindrance to gaining education, it’s not only a misfortune for the children but also a failure on our part who choose to let things be the way they are. For them to grow up as vigilant and skilled adults, kids need learning. Akshaya Patra does its bit by providing mid-day meals as an incentive to encourage kids to attend classes.

Financial weakness

Sometimes, some brilliant talents go unnoticed because they fail to bring themselves to the notice. So many children don’t go to school because for them, working to earn meals is better than sitting in the classrooms with empty stomachs. There may be good painters, sportspersons, and dancers in the children who go for menial jobs. We should realise our responsibility towards the society that has helped us become what we are and engage in charity fundraising. Our tax-deductible donation can make a large difference.

No access to welfare programmes

There are many welfare programmes that run for benefitting the underprivileged children yet some are missed out because they are hard to reach, unwilling to join or cannot easily participate. As such, facilitating the kids to be able to get the benefit as well as expanding the programmes is important. This is possible only by maximising the support.

Ignorance of the capable ones

Giving some of what we have to the needy is an excellent way to feel beyond materialistic pleasure. Criticising the stagnancy of our society without contributing to its uplifting is unjustified. Thinking that somebody else will help the helpless is the greatest threat to the needy. A small donation is the least we can do as a contribution. A healthy and educated society is all we aspire.

Donate to charity today to experience the truth in the adage: no one has ever become poor by giving.

Why Should We Make Children Our Priority?

What do some of the top NGOs in India have in common? Children happen to be their priority. They are working in the field of child development through education, food, shelter and health. Akshaya Patra’s top priority is to reach more school children each day with nutritious food which, in turn, would encourage the kids come to school regularly.

When it comes to children, we think like parents. We make children our priority and single point of motivation while working. This Children’s Day, how can parents make children their priority?

Teach by example 

When you make children your priority, you want to teach them right. No lesson goes down deeply into the soul better than the one lived as an example. It is a way of treating our children with love and respect. At Akshaya Patra, we treat children with nutritious meals to ensure they are healthy and are encouraged to attend school. Be it in Bangalore or other parts of India, our staff understand that being part of a top NGO for children would mean being more sensitive and mindful around children. While serving the Mid-Day Meals, our staff ensures that they treat children with respect, serve the food appropriately and set an example of respecting meals.

Character development 

As Dr Haim Ginott put it, “Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them, makes an impression.” We need to realise how vital it is to focus on the character development of children. We must see children as adults-in-the-making. Gently inculcating qualities of mutual respect, honouring others goes a long way in the development of a child’s character. Our experience as a child NGO in Bangalore helps us remember that children – be it in tech-savvy cities like or newly developed ones – are the same.

Smart discipline 

Today’s children have more access to information through technology. That coupled with their inherent sense of observation and imitation, makes discipline a challenging task. Yet, when teachers at schools and parents at home, gently carry out their responsibilities well, children are able to prioritise in life better and become more disciplined. Chetan, a beneficiary of our Mid-Day Meal Scheme run in association with the government, is someone who has benefitted from good discipline. He aspires to be an architect since he got the chance to watch a certain television programme about architects. He loves learning Marathi which is also his mother tongue. When we make children our priority, we are able to find smarter ways of inculcating discipline in them. 

Join hands in the cause

You may or may not be a parent, but you do realise that children are the future society. You may choose to join our cause of bringing children closer to school education by providing Mid-Day Meals in schools with the help of the government of India. We have so far served 2.12 billion meals to school children and this has been made possible with the support of our generous donors. As a donor, you also get a few tax benefits in 80G deduction or carrying out CSR activities. As a top NGO in bringing ‘Food for education’, Akshaya Patra aims at reaching every child in India with nutritious meal and education. Join hands with us today.

Healthy Food for Children is Crucial for Development

All the major developments of the body and brain take place at childhood.  Therefore, lots of vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes and whole grains are essential in the food for children to ensure their healthy development. However, the reality is that not all the children in India have access to proper nutrition, especially in their formative years, in fact millions still don’t. The silver lining is that the situation has become far better than what it was used to be, largely thanks to the efforts of various NGOs for children and people who donate to charity.

Healthy food for children is important for several reasons:

• Early childhood - from birth to eight years is one of the most critical periods in children’s growth. It is during this period children grow fast and acquire all their basic skills including language, socio-emotional development (attachment, sense of right and wrong); and fine (ability to hold pencils) and gross (balance, skip) motor skills. Vital nutrients in fruits and vegetables like vitamin C, vitamin A, fibre, folate, potassium, magnesium and phytochemicals help keep the body and mind healthy. This is why doctors and health experts specify on including more fruits and vegetables in food for children.
• Countless studies in the past have also highlighted importance of healthy eating during childhood.  A balanced diet has been shown to increase brain function, improve behaviour and concentration of students and improve children’s learning capacity and academic performance.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO), healthy nutrition also protects children against obesity and chronic diseases like cancer, eating disorders and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, following a healthy diet during the early stages of growth also helps one remain healthy in adulthood and at old age. 

On the other hand, chronic malnutrition has been proved to leave irreversible damage on children, both in their physical and mental development. UNICEF states that about 7.6 million children around the world die before age five. Around 200 million children manage to survive; but fail to reach full human potential due to various reasons like poor nutrition, inadequate care and lack of opportunities.  According to the experts, early intervention by giving opportunities to overcome these issues can yield promising results and help improve survival, growth, health and other areas of early development.

In India, effort to provide opportunities to underserved children was initiated through many NGO for children like The Akshaya Patra Foundation. With the help of individuals who donate to charity, Akshaya Patra has been providing nutritious food for children since 2000.

Giving children the opportunity to attend school regularly, the organisation currently delivers freshly cooked nutritious meals to over 1.4 million children every day. The NGO for children aims at providing more food for children by expanding its reach to 5 million students by 2020.

To help make this happen, join Akshaya Patra and donate to charity. Your support will ensure more children get wholesome meals every day in government and government aided schools, and get the opportunity to grow physically and mentally strong.