Role of NGOs in India in Solving Hunger

Hunger - an epidemic situation among the low-income groups in this world. Hunger – a life threatening situation for everyone especially children.

There are so many food items out there in abundance which will never teach us the real meaning of hunger. Every four hours, we snack on something or probably have full meal to avoid hunger. But there are millions of children out there who struggle for a single meal in a day. We know of many children who are often undernourished as they struggle to get one-time meal during the day. These are also the same children who have no access or inclination towards education.

There are many organisations in India that are playing the role of NGOs and have been trying to address hunger issues. These NGOs act as a channel for people like us to reach out to those in need. One of the leading names is Akshaya Patra that successfully combined food and education wisely so as to reach more and more children with the two basic necessities of life.  The NGO headquartered in Bangalore provides mid- day meals to the children in schools to help them grow and learn with a nutritious diet.

The real meaning of hunger 

Most people associate hunger with quenching the physical need of food. Often when we are hungry, we invariably say – do you have something to eat? We are often vague about food. The only time we truly care about the ingredients of food is while feeding children. The real meaning of hunger for a child differs, and it should. For a child, hunger would mean deprivation of a meal that is instrumental in his physical and mental growth.

Similarly, children have a hunger for their dreams and things that they want. Children have an inherent hunger for knowledge and education. They are curious and wish to quench their thirst for knowledge. The role of NGOs in India thus becomes bigger when it comes to dealing with children’s meal and education issues. Akshaya Patra continues to reach out to millions of children to transform their lives. Also, their work is completely transparent and they make all their information available to public. The organisation strives to quench both physical and mental hunger of children with its mission ‘Food for Education’. When the children get the motivation of a one-time but nutritious meal, they are motivated to come to school. Similarly, parents send all their children to school since they have an assurance that the kids would be fed apart from getting education. This is a progressive model of combining the two missions together which is invariably intertwined. 

Sitting in our offices or comfortable homes, least we can do to help the NGOs such as this by giving what we can. Donating for education in India, especially because it involves supporting the backbone of our country’s future is our contribution to a better society.  All of us do wish to be a part of some noble activity, but our time or job constraints don’t allow us to do so. So here’s our chance to be the game changer in the fight against hunger. All we need to do is make a generous donation to Akshaya Patra and provide children ‘Unlimited Food for Education’. 

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Solving India’s Hunger Problem – Why and How?

‘World hunger’ refers to the want or scarcity of food in a country. As the economies progress and development goes forward, the evil of hunger becomes a bigger challenge with growing populations. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) estimates that about 795 million people of the 7.5 billion people in the world were suffering from chronic undernourishment in 2014-2016. That’s one in nine people. And almost all the hungry people, i.e., 780 million people live in developing countries including India. 

Hunger has taken its largest toll in Southern Asia including India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Imagine the statistics on the children demographic. Globally, 161 million under-five-year olds were estimated to be stunted in 2013. Thus solving the problem of hunger is not a choice anymore. The reasons are plenty but the most prominent of them all is it’s slowly destroying our future – the children.

How can the hunger problem be solved? Of course there are top NGOs working towards reducing under nourishment among children. A lot of charity fundraising happens on a large scale in India where people generously donate for the cause. However, the real effort is in the detailing.

School to school 

Akshaya Patra, an NGO based out of Bangalore, identified the place where undernourished children can be found easily. There are several government schools around India that struggle to get children to school. The most common reason for kids skipping school is economic condition. While both parents need to work to fend for their families, older children are kept in charge of younger siblings. When Akshaya Patra decided to incentivise education by providing mid-day meals in schools, the idea caught up quickly. One of the best ways to solve the problem is to reach out to undernourished children and ensure both nutrition and education. The organisation encourages tax deductible donations apart from working in active partnership with the government. 

Meal to meal 

Another significant detail in the fight against hunger is ensuring that nutritious meals are served to children. Akshaya Patra CEO Shridhar Venkat, addressing at the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Regional Initiative on Zero Hunger challenge (Bangkok), identified a crucial aspect of nutrition. He said that millets were not only more nutritious than cereals, they were naturally rich in fibre, minerals and iron. He outlined the inclusion of this particular cereal in ancient Indian meals. The meals at Akshaya Patra are replete with nutrients. Our cooks ensure that the meals are not boring and are varied enough for the children to enjoy while the meals are customised as per the region such as South India or Western India. This NGO in India is able to execute this plan through charity fundraising or tax deductible donations from generous people all over the world. 

Awareness 

Through Aanganwadi meals given to mothers and toddlers, the organisation also engages in making women aware of healthy nutrition for children. This sensitises mothers towards ensuring that they feed their children a healthy meal every day. When they cannot provide for these meals, Akshaya Patra engages in facilitating the same. 

The fight to hunger needs to be carried out with a concrete plan. It’s vital that these plans are localised based on country and regions in order to be effective. You can play your part by donating from wherever you are.