Akshaya Patra | NGO blog

The Akshaya Patra Foundation, NGO in India, runs one of the worlds largest mid day meal program. We distribute freshly cooked, healthy meals daily to 1.6 million underprivileged children in government and government aided schools through 24 kitchens in 11 states across India. Built on a public-private partnership, Akshaya Patra combines good management, innovative technology and smart engineering to deliver school lunch at a minimal cost.

Friday, August 7, 2015

Looking into the beneficiaries of Akshaya Patra

An NGO in India is providing nutritious food for children every day. What is the impact of the endeavour? You have to meet a few children to decide for yourself. The Akshaya Patra Foundation currently feeds millions of children in its effort to eliminate classroom hunger. It also tries to make a direct connection with the beneficiary children— look into their lives, know more about them and see if the programme of delivering school meals every day is helping them or not.

Let’s meet Yashoda, a 12-year-old girl with an aspiration to become a teacher. She is bright student and one of the toppers in her batch. She had recently lost her father. Yashoda’s mother, a home maker till the demise of her husband, has started working at a garment industry to support the family. Yashoda says, “My father’s wish was that I become a lecturer at a college and educate students. He inspired me and I want to do my best.” She is determined to become a teacher. Yashoda also wants to help society. She wants to educate the less fortunate too when she becomes a teacher. Akshaya Patra serves nutritious mid-day meal at her school every day and she loves pulao. She is also aware that the vegetables served by Akshaya Patra are good for health.

Know more about Yashoda @ Akshaya Patra Beneficiary

Now let’s say cheers to Venu who never misses school on Thursday because of Aloo (Potato) Biryani (mixed rice dish) served by Akshaya Patra on that day every week. Normally Venu likes the food provided by Akshaya Patra every day but, Biryani is his favourite. Venu is a fifth standard student who likes English and wants to be an engineer. He is a bright, hardworking boy whose younger brother and elder sister are also studying at the same school. This means all the siblings are beneficiaries of the Mid-Day Meal Programme.

Know more about Venu @ Stories of Children

Before making a closing note it better to meet another child. Here is Soujanya, an eighth standard class topper, who loves maths and aspires to become a maths teacher. Her amity with numbers started at an early age when she realised she is good with it. She wants to be perfect with the subject. About Akshaya Patra, she says, “I’m lucky to have the meals. It is nutritious and tasty. It helps me concentrate in class.” She is particularly fond of the fruits and loves the biryani served every Thursday.

Know more about Soujanya @ Akshaya Patra Success stories of Children

Think about stories of millions of children like Yashoda, Venu and Soujanya. Many of these children generally belong to economically challenged family backgrounds. A nutritious meal at school every day is a relief to the families too, knowing that their children are well fed in school. Children need good nutrition at this time in their lives for proper growth and cognitive development. It’s a crucial time which is never coming back. If we have to do something, we have to do it now!

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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.

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.

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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Tuesday, July 14, 2015

A way to help Akshaya Patra―Fundraise!

The Akshaya Patra Foundation being an NGO implementing the world’s largest mid-day meal programme is in constant need of support and contribution to sustain and expand its programme. Though the vision and mission of Akshaya Patra are imbibed into each individuals working with and for the cause of eliminating classroom hunger from India; the magnitude of the operation demands a huge resource and constant challenges creep up along the road to progress. Akshaya Patra looks up to several supporters, donors and well-wishers to help in running and expanding the programme.

One significant option is fundraising with and for Akshaya Patra. It’s a fulfilling action for individuals who wish to do something and change the lives of children for the better. The organisation is always ready to support anyone who wants to fundraise at home, at school or at work or who wants to organise an event or a collection.

Akshaya Patra offers many fundraise with us options and the opportunity to come up with unique ideas for fundraising. Several kinds of communication materials and collaterals are readily available to enable the process. Round the clock assistance is just a mail or a call away.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation believes that fundraising is a really effective way to help contribute towards the mid-day meal programme. It raises awareness about Food for Education, and provides support and information to anyone is looking for it. Each event meets many purposes apart from just raising funds. It also gives one the opportunity to become a role model.

Such fundraising events normally cause a ripple effect, which Akshaya Patra needs to fulfil its mission and in the near future.

Classroom hunger is a problem that affects the entire nation. One third of the world’s undernourished children are from India. Without proper food and education, children can never grow up to be better people.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation needs ardent support and contribution from people who understand that without smart and healthy children there is no better future. And what needs to be done to ensure that the future is bright has been done now.

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Tuesday, June 30, 2015

How to Get involved with Akshaya Patra Children Charity

Every now and then we ask how we could contribute to making the world a better place. At Akshaya Patra, we give supporters the chance to help the future of India. The several volunteering opportunities available at Akshaya Patra give supporters the opportunity to work in partnership with the organisation without interfering with their day-to-day activities and responsibilities.

There are several ways to volunteer with the organisation:

CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) opportunities- By supporting Akshaya Patra’s goal of providing food for education, any CSR activity will benefit school children in India. Our tie-ups with several philanthropic partners include generous contributions through funds and in-kind. Akshaya Patra welcomes strategic cause-marketing initiatives, innovation and project solutions for the children.

Volunteer opportunities- Being an online supporter will help spread Akshaya Patra’s message across the world. Promoting the cause on various social media platforms brings awareness about the Foundation’s work. To nurture good relationships between supporters and the organisation, Akshaya Patra welcomes sharing and implementing innovative fundraising ideas which can be done at home, at school or in the community. If you are a budding scribe or a social media junkie who wants to make a difference, join Akshaya Patra’s online platforms.

Fundraise with Akshaya Patra- With collaborated efforts, reaching any goal will be made easy. To make a difference in the lives of children, supporters can fundraise by creating a campaign for Akshaya Patra. With active fundraising campaigns also running in parallel, supporters can join any of those campaigns and make a contribution towards the cause.

Partnerships – Since its inception in 2000, Akshaya Patra has worked closely with reputed individuals and companies. Aiming to build strong ties, the Foundation encourages partnerships with the vision of ending classroom hunger in India. If interested kindly write to in to infodesk@akshayapatra.org .

With the mission to feed 5 million children by 2020, Akshaya Patra encourages individuals to join forces with the organisation and work towards uplifting the underserved children in India.

To know more about the opportunities, visit Akshaya Patra Get Involved.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation, NGO in India has implemented the mid-day meal scheme to feed the future of India. The organization is feeding the government school children of 24 locations across 10 states in India.

@AkshayaPatraFoundation on Rediff | https://www.youtube.com/user/akshayapatra