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.

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.

Make your school environment-friendly for children with physical disabilities

The specially abled children have a sensitivity like no one else. They are often more tolerant, accommodating and friendly, if you just give them a chance. While there are special schools for the hearing and visually impaired, there are still several other specially abled children who can be accommodated and accepted in regular schools with some efforts.

As your students are back to school for another session, how can you make your school environment more friendly for these special children? We have got some ideas. 

A welcoming reception 

Children are more emotional than we think. If they get a drift of a friendly environment at school right from the entrance, they start to feel comfortable. You can ensure this happens by making your reception area equipped with things that make the specially abled children feel at home. 

- If there are any steps at your entrance area, do place a handrail on both sides of these steps since children with mobility challenges put extra caution for going up and down the stairs. 

- You can get a metal ramp placed at the entrance of the building. The width of a wheelchair is usually 60 cm so the metal ramp can be made slightly wider than that. It is often an inexpensive gesture that goes a long way for specially abled children. 

- Install a bell with a symbol of wheelchair or walking stick at the entrance so any child needing assistance with walking may call for help easily.

- Make sure your classrooms, toilets are built on plane surfaces to make them easily accessible for special children. 

Training the staff for special children

Making your school really friendly for special children is not limited to keeping hearing, walking or visual aids. Ensure that all the assistance staff as well as teachers are sensitised towards the needs of children with physical disabilities. The staff must know the basics of hearing and walking aids along with being kind and gentle while dealing with such children. The special children are otherwise like any other child. Akshaya Patra, an NGO that has played a vital role in implementing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in government schools in India, also serves in the Deaf and Dumb Industrial School in Nagpur Maharashtra. Several children from Central India regularly come to this school due to the friendly environment created by the staff and the wholesome lunch provided here. 

Sensitising other children 

One of the roles of NGOs in India is to teach the society about how to treat special children. A similar sensitisation is needed in all schools where teachers counsel and develop a sense of accommodation and acceptance for special children among students. They can be taught through role plays, small skits and stories of courage so whenever there are any specially abled children, the students are ready to welcome them with open arms. Older children can be encouraged to donate for education in India or use Internet for running online fundraising campaigns for small school projects for specially abled children.

How important is education for the future?

In this age of information overload, there’s little that we are grasping. All the more reason that education should be emphasised upon now. Education is the knowledge of implementing information at the right place.

Schools in India have now come a long way since independence. The government today is ensuring that education is being imparted through aanganwadis, schools, midnight schools and so on. For a majority of the population, it’s formal education that can help them get where they wish to be. Hence, its importance cannot be overlooked. 

A major role of NGOs such as Akshaya Patra today is played out in the field of education, simply because it really is the foundation of the future. So if there’s a cause that you want to back up today or engage in a fundraising campaign online, you should pick education and choose to donate for education in India. 

Education paves way for choices 

Unless children are given equal opportunities of education, they will never learn about the various streams and avenues that could open up for them. Our future society needs skilled and educated professionals in every vocation. We need doctors, engineers, mechanics, teachers, nurses, writers, technicians, photographers, artists, dancers, actors and more. 

Education exposes children to the outside world 

Manthan Jikadra, a beneficiary of the mid-day meal scheme run by Akshaya Patra, is a Class VI student from Surat. He diligently attends school and loves to explore the subjects being taught. He regularly participates in cultural activities and has ambitions of becoming an entertainer when he grows up. This is an example of how schools can become a level playing field for children to see the outside world through various means of education. Often the choices and passions children take up in school become their means of earning a livelihood in future. 

Education broadens perspectives 

A future society cannot be founded on evils such as racism, corruption, malice or intolerance. How will future citizens know and learn to respect each other? Through education, children learn to co-exist, share and encourage each other. These qualities don’t come easy and cannot be inculcated overnight. These are often rooted deeply in our upbringing and culture. Education involves learning of various streams, development of mental faculties and exploring information from around the world. This helps children broaden their perspectives. When this happens, we can hope of building a society that treats everyone equally.

An organisation such as Akshaya Patra is working tirelessly to get children to attend schools because education is a cause worth investing in. Through its service of providing a wholesome lunch to children in Government schools, the role of Akshaya Patra as an NGO is to advance the cause of Food for Education. You may choose to back this up through online fundraising campaigns for the organisation or simply by donating for education in India through the online medium.