School lunch in Namma Karnataka by Akshaya Patra

Bengaluru, the city where it all began. In 2000, Akshaya Patra, an NGO in Karnataka, started serving mid-day meals to 1500 government school children in Bengaluru with an aim to end classroom hunger. The journey has been ceaseless.

With a flourishing quality education, Karnataka is among many other states that require attention towards reducing classroom hunger. We believe that quality education without basic necessities such as nutritional food for students is of no value at all. When mid-day meal in Karnataka became operational, many schools saw an increase in school attendance. State Hunger Index report, 2008, shows how hunger is still persistent across India and Karnataka, among many other states, falls in alarming category.

In 2003, the Government of Karnataka invited The Foundation to partner with them to implement Mid-Day Meal Scheme across the state. They have also helped the Central Government in implementing the programme across the nation. Akshaya Patra, an NGO in Karnataka receives sufficient aid from the State Government and from donors as well.

Here’s a quick look at certain aspects of Akshaya Patra’s presence in Karnataka:

1. Highest Beneficiary Base: The mid-day meal programme in Karnataka is currently available to 463,682 children across 2,629 schools which make the state the highest in terms of beneficiary base. When Akshaya Patra began its journey, the number of children who received hot and freshly cooked meals was only 1500. In 16 years, our beneficiary base has increased by 300 times.

2. Four ISO Kitchens: Akshaya Patra’s kitchens are an ideal example of quality. Centralised kitchens are automated and ensure 100% hygiene during the cooking process. All the six kitchens in Karnataka are centralised, with four of these having received ISO certification. All centralised kitchens have the capacity to cook up to 100,000 meals every day. The beneficiary schools are located around the unit to benefit from these kitchens.

3. Nourishing uncommon dreams: In 2016 a pilot initiative called ‘Giving Every Dream a Chance’ was launched. Through this programme, students will receive mentorship in the field of their career interests. For the pilot launch, three students from Bengaluru were selected as a part of this initiative and were mentored by renowned organisations which witnessed a huge success. Shekar, for instance, is a 14-year-old student who aspires to be a chef, was trained under Vivanta by Taj. You can view the inspiring videos here.

It is also The Akshaya Patra Foundation’s mission to target 5 million children by 2020 and ensure that these children are able to concentrate better in classrooms. Although there has been a huge success, we believe it is still a long way to go before we can experience hunger-free India. You can join 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.

Read on to know more about our work, how you can get involved or donate to charity. Yes, there’s 100% tax exemption when you donate to Akshaya Patra.

Press Coverage of The Akshaya Patra Foundation

Akshaya Patra Press Coverage is updated with the latest media releases and interesting news about the organisation. The Foundation works towards curbing classroom hunger and enhancing school enrolment by providing mid-day meals to more than 1.5 million school children in India. The article clippings in the news center are listed chronologically and can also be viewed by selecting a timeline. The news coverage can also be shared on social media sites.

Akshaya Patra is thankful to the press for creating awareness about the cause and for providing positive exposure in the press coverage.

Empowering Every Child's Dream

In 1878, two American brothers took an interest in aeronautics at a very young age when their father brought home a toy helicopter which was made out of paper. A few years later, upon realizing their dream, they went on to create the world’s first flight. A chance to achieve their dream came in different forms – funds from a cycle repair shop, drawings of flights by engineers and artists and most importantly support from fellow beings around them. Today, Wright Brothers’ success story needs no introduction.

Children’s dreams can be honest and genuine and their minds are free to create blueprints of what they want to achieve in their life. When little minds aspire to achieve something and work towards the dream, it empowers them in discovering their abilities and strengths. However, in India, we have more than 17 million children who do not have access to basic education or even a square meal which forces them to limit their aspirations and give in to the hardship of earning few rupees a day. In a situation like this, dreams that have great potential to see success get defeated. To relieve children from such unfavorable circumstances, it is important that we, as a society, not only help them access the basics but also encourage them to dream big.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation, an NGO for children that provides mid-day meals to more than 1.5 million school goers every day, believes in giving every child’s dream a chance simply because they are not meant to be trapped in the mind. The initiative ‘Giving Every Dream a Chance’ was launched recently by the Foundation and aims to act as a guiding star for children in getting a step closer to their dreams. As a pilot project, the three Akshaya Patra beneficiaries underwent a successful two-month mentorship programme with an expertise from their field of interest and the Foundation now plans to stretch the initiative to multiple cities across the country. With the right guidance, children with dreams will be able to understand their aspirations and also develop their skills.

In a world that is aggressively competitive, a dream does not become a reality unless you believe and give it a chance and the success once you have achieved it, surmounts the hard journey. With a belief that every child’s dream in our country deserves a fair chance, the initiative 'Giving Every Dream a Chance' has been launched by The Akshaya Patra Foundation. Meanwhile, the mid-day meal programme by the foundation continues to tackle hunger surge among children across many states and nourish the minds for improved concentration in classrooms.

Shekar - The Aspiring Chef

Manjula - The Debuting Actress

Shivu - The Aspiring Astronomer

Join Akshaya Patra on their journey where hundreds of children from across the country will be benefitting from the initiative ‘Giving Every Dream a Chance.’ To help children dream fearlessly, the focus continues to be hunger relief among school goers through nutritious mid-day meals. By contributing Rs. 750, you can feed a child for an entire year! To help us achieve this, donate here.

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?

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.

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

Fascinating World of Akshaya Patra's Mega Kitchens

This photo blog is a visual inspiration for all those who are intrigued and fascinated by our colossal kitchens. This blog will give you an intimate look into an Akshaya Patra kitchen, with photographs of how exactly we accomplish feeding 1.5 million children daily!

22 kitchens

Starts cooking at 3 am

Mid-day meal will be ready by 9 am

To know more about the kitchens, visit: Akshaya Patra's Mega Kitchens