How will India change if we feed 5 million children

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an NGO in Bangalore that provides wholesome school lunch to children. This NGO lets you do online fundraising for serving children and makes sure that all the money is diligently spent for their benefit. So if this organisation can be so dedicated to create a better future for the ambitious children, thereby, contributing in country’s growth, why can’t we support them in a way that’s as easy and quick as a few clicks?

By donating to charity, we are helping to create a better and brighter future for India. Know how: 

1. Achieving the two most critical sustainable goals

Through this non-profit programme of serving unlimited food for education and defeating hunger, Akshaya Patra aims to achieve the two most critical sustainable goals: Zero Hunger and Quality Education. The NGO is working toward it with all sincerity and commitment and that’s why it has had such a great impact. Akshaya Patra calls out each one of us to make a little contribution toward achieving this goal by donating to charity or coming up with other non-profit fundraising ideas.

2. Reduced poverty

Poverty itself is a cause of poverty. The economically backward people stay backward because they do not have the means to uplift themselves. The children in such families have to do menial jobs in order to meet their ends. The mission of this foundation is to serve and impact 5 million such children by 2020 so that they’re not deprived of education because of classroom hunger. When this goal is achieved, we may come up with 5 million more educated minds, who would be capable enough to do good work, earn sufficiently and lead better lives. Coming up with non-profit fundraising ideas or donating to charity is how you can do your bit for this cause.

3. A strong stand against all other national challenges

Nelson Mandela described education as the most powerful weapon that you can use to change the world. It is indeed the right key to eliminate problems like gender inequality, corruption, racism, crime from our societies and foster peace. Akshaya Patra believes that by achieving their goal of serving 5 million children by 2020, they can greatly help in eradicating these problems that hinder personal, societal and national growth. The NGO, for achieving its goal, calls for non-profit fundraising ideas, online fundraising and also has other volunteering, partnership and CSR opportunities.

So let’s support this cause, give children a gift of a lifetime, and make a difference to their lives. Create a fundraising campaign or donate to charity now!

Why are pulses an important ingredient in meal?

Children’s charity Akshaya Patra has set examples of quality nutritious meal which is ideal to be served to growing children in Bangalore and across the country. Being India’s one of the top NGOs running a mid-day meal programme, the organisation focuses on serving wholesome food to school children. This NGO strictly abides by the dietary norms as stated by the Central Mid-Day Meal Scheme.

A human body grows remarkably fast between 5 and 18 years of age.  When this growth is stunted during childhood, the body becomes more susceptible to diseases. So it’s important to ensure that the children are fed with the right diet. The charity organisation from Bangalore is working in line with this consideration on a large scale across the country.

The ensure the meal is of top quality, the organisation uses pulses in all of its nutritious meals that are being served every school-day. This sends out a strong message for including pulses in every day meals. These benefits are: 

1. Sufficient intake of Protein

The meals provided by Akshaya Patra consist of pulses like toordal, fortified soy dal, urad dal, cow pea, moong dal, green gram, sprouts, etc. It is a known fact that protein is an essential building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood. It helps in building and repairing tissues. For ambitious students like Lakshmi who studies in a school supported by the charity organisation in Bangalore, these healthy meals are really a boon. The top NGO also makes people aware of these benefits as it encourages them towards donating or charity fundraising. 

2. Fulfilled with essential vitamins and minerals

Pulses are a source of the necessary vitamins and minerals which are good for overall health. Minerals such as iron, potassium, magnesium, zinc and vitamin B (folate, thiamine and niacin) are found in pulses. The beneficiaries get to consume such meal though our School-lunch Programme. Various donations and charity fundraising help us procure the ingredients through which we can ensure quality meal for the children. 

3. A satiating meal

While pulses are low in calories (260-360 kcal/ 100 g dried pulses), they are high in fibre and complex carbohydrates, which means that they are slowly digested and give a feeling of satiety. Pulses promote a steady, slow-burning energy while their iron content helps to transport oxygen throughout the body, which boosts energy production and metabolism.

4. Lower risk of cardiovascular disorders

If consumed in appropriate quantity, pulses can help in fulfilling as much as 60% of the daily value of fibre required for the body. The fibre in the pulses is known to improve heart health. Pulses are also rich in potassium which can lower blood pressure by counteracting the effects of sodium. The children studying in government and government-aided schools of Bangalore and in other cities are receiving a healthy diet every day served by this charity. This ensures that they grow up with a lower risk of cardiovascular disorders.

So, gift new hopes and dreams to the children and contribute to their well-being by engaging in charity fundraising activities. Donate today or fundraise for the cause.

Why children need wholesome mid-day meal?

Children’s charities around the world often emphasise on wholesome meal for the efficient growth of their body and mind. This meal would have lean proteins, carbs and fats. Children need a generous amount of all the three for an efficient growth of body and mind. Here’s how:

Brain health

Proper nutrition served through a good meal increases blood flow within the brain, protecting brain cells. A wholesome meal would have Vitamin E and other important nutrients that are crucial for brain health.  That’s why several children’s charities stress on feeding such meal to children. Children’s charity Akshaya Patra’s kitchens located in cities such as Lucknow, Bhillai, Mysuru, etc., serve mid-day meals that are nutritious covering healthy amounts of proteins, vitamins and carbs. 

Bone and teeth strength 

A wholesome meal is rich in calcium and keeps bones and teeth of the children strong. This helps prevent bone loss associated with osteoporosis when they grow up. Calcium is mostly found in low-fat dairy products, dark green vegetables and fortified foods such as soy products and cereals which are the usual ingredients used in the school lunch prepared at Akshaya Patra kitchens.

Getting the right body weight

A balance diet helps them achieve a proper body weight which is essential for their physical and their mental health. Children’s charities around the world focus on a protein-rich diet with a good balance of carbs for the simple reason that they don’t want the children to be either under or over weight. Both the conditions are detrimental for their healthy growth during childhood. NGOs like Akshaya Patra which have presence in several major cities of India such as Bengaluru, Surat and Lucknow, follow a strict meal plan for serving school lunch. The food here is cooked according to primary and upper primary classes so that the right amount of proteins and micro nutrients are served to the children. In terms of amount of nutrients, the meals differ as per the age of the children. 

Boosts immunity, fosters self-confidence

A wholesome meal protects children against diseases. Little do we realise that this has a connection with the children’s emotional health. Children who remain ill often find it hard to cope with homework and school activities that often put them under stress. Inability to compete with peers gives them emotional imbalance that they cannot deal with. A wholesome meal boosts immunity and builds confidence and self-respect among children.

How lunch benefits children?

After breakfast, the next important meal for children is lunch.  When children eat their next meal in the middle of the day, several hours after breakfast, it re-energises their bodies. This is vital for children this keeps their metabolism active. That’s why the NGO Akshaya Patra serves wholesome mid-day meals in schools in Lucknow, Bengaluru, Mysuru, Nasik and several other places so that children take their lunch seriously and keep their metabolism active.

You can contribute positively towards this initiative and in turn contribute in the healthy growth and development of children in India. Donate today.

Corporate social responsibility takes the shape of charity

Charity donations in the form of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) channelise resources in the direction of vital causes led by charitable organisations in India. CSR is no more a dreary meaningless formal exercise conducted by companies to show on paper. It’s becoming an active way to give back to the community and has helped several NGOs in India get resources for their work.

The two important Sustainable Development Goals that are crucial for India are (i) Zero Hunger and (ii) Quality Education. Akshaya Patra, an NGO in India, has a relevant vision. The organisation aims at feeding children in India while also ensuring that they go to school. This NGO provides wholesome lunch to school children in India with an objective of bringing them back to education.

Thus organisations looking for making a positive contribution in the SDGs have much scope in joining hands with Akshaya Patra. Here are some of the ways through which corporate organisations may begin to contribute for the cause:

- Strategic philanthropy through charity donations

- Cause-marketing initiatives 

- Events and sponsorships 

- Innovations and project solutions for children 

Akshaya Patra has corporate partners such as Infosys, The Landmark Group, General Industrial Controls, the Jewellery Channel, Hindustan Petroleum, and more who are helping children in various parts of the country in getting nutritious meals in schools. 

In India millions of children are on the brink of becoming victims of malnourishment because of inflation. According to a recent report by UNESCO, 17.7 million children in India are out of school. Organisations like Akshaya Patra are directly addressing these challenges by actively contributing in the cause of incentivising education. 

Charitable organisations in India need not only partners for charitable donations but also companions in devising strategies for addressing complex problems. Akshaya Patra has been benefitted by the CSR initiatives of many such corporate partners who have helped the foundation at several levels from charity donations to volunteering, donating kitchens to helping in the delivery of nutritious meals.  

And this contribution has paid off over the years. Akshaya Patra now has the world’s largest NGO-run mid-day meal programme serving wholesome lunch to over 1.6 million children in 13,636 schools across 12 states in India. Its state-of-the-art kitchens have won several awards for innovation and have been widely studied around the world. But most of all it’s the people who take part in CSR initiatives who find it so fulfilling to be a part of such a cause. Hundreds of volunteers from several corporate organisations willingly and happily lend a helping hand in serving meals or helping at other stages of the programme. 

Many organisations choose to contribute by event sponsorships and help us organise meaningful events involving more people to understand this cause. Akshaya Patra offers many CSR opportunities to corporates who are willing to contribute for the future of this country. Get involved today.

Why do India’s top NGOs emphasize Mid-Day Meal in schools?

A recent UNICEF report says that more than 80 million children drop out of school before they complete the age of eight years while over 8 million children are already out of school. In contrast, when 1.6 million children in India are benefitted by a top NGO, the same number of children attends school. That’s the impact of Mid-Day Meal Programme that’s run in government schools in India.

Mid-day meals and school attendance 

One of India’s top NGOs Akshaya Patra strives to make both food and education accessible for children since these are the two founding factors of the growth of children. Mid-day meals are directly associated with whether children would attend schools and make the best of the education right from reading and writing in their mother tongue Hindi or Gujarati or participating in extra-curricular activities. The government is working with some top NGOs in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and others to ensure that mid-day meals are served in as many schools as possible so more children could be brought back to school. School administrations have testified that their attendance is going up every year ever since they started serving wholesome lunch in the premises. 

Mid-day meals and children’s dreams 

Several stories of hope at Akshaya Patra are testimonies to the principle that when basic nourishment is available easily to children, they are more likely to dream big and have goals in life. Hundreds of beneficiaries receiving wholesome lunch at school share their dreams of becoming engineers, sports persons, doctors or teachers.

Mid-day meals and growth

A mid-day meal is one of the three most important meals of the day. Families that can only afford meals twice in a day, are typically those who would rather put their children to work so more meals could be earned for the whole family. As a result, many school-going children are forced to drop out since either they are needed at home to take care of their siblings when both parents go to work or they need to work in order to help the family financially. This often becomes a vicious cycle where meal becomes a reason for children to drop out of schools. Thus, back in the year 2000, Akshaya Patra, which is today one of India’s top NGOs in the field, realised that if this gap is filled, the problem of school drop-outs could be solved. The organisation realised that there are several avenues to getting education. Apart from the usual activities at schools like learning Math or Hindi, if mid-day meal is made part of attending school, it could become a major incentive in bringing students back. This would directly affect a healthy growth of the children both physically and mentally while parents would be more willing to send all the children in the family to schools. 

You can make a big difference into this mission by donating to charity.