Akshaya Patra enters the North East

When The Akshaya Patra Foundation is choosing the location it should start its next kitchen in, it takes many different details into account. But one of the most important things the organisation analyses is the vital need for a new kitchen to be set up in that area.

Assam was one location that definitely needed the assistance that The Akshaya Patra Foundation could provide through the mid-day meal scheme. The state has been ravaged in the past by natural disasters which have caused many people to lose their homes, savings and security. There are thousands of children all over the state who have been unable to attend school in the face of driving concerns like food and shelter for the day.

Knowing how dire the situation is, the Government of Assam invited The Akshaya Patra Foundation to open a kitchen in their state. The free, nutritious and tasty mid-day meal was to provide an incentive for children to attend classes, and therefore increase school enrolment, attendance, and concentration while reducing dropout rates.

Akshaya Patra eagerly accepted this invitation from the Assam State Government and quickly put the wheels in motion to start their first kitchen in Assam, in Guwahati. However with the damages caused by the natural disasters in the region, there is limited infrastructure in terms of drinking water, drainage facilities and supply of electricity available. The Akshaya Patra Foundation therefore set up a reverse osmosis plant to provide clean drinking water, constructed adequate drainage facilities and set up generators to take care of the electricity problems.

Today the Assam unit feeds 53,649 children across 592 government schools through its centralised kitchen on every school day. This kitchen is ISO 22000:2005 certified and complies with Food Safety Management Systems and adopts best practices like Six Sigma and Kaizen; to ensure quality, hygienic and delicious food is sent out to the children benefitting from the programme.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation today feeds 1.39 million children across India every day. With a mission to serve 5 million by 2020, the Foundation needs all the help and support it can get. To make a donation toward this worthy cause click https://www.akshayapatra.org/onlinedonations

Strength in Small Packages

Appearances are often deceiving. Pooja at first seems like a shy child, but as conversation progresses she astounds you with her joy, creativity, and intelligence. An all-rounder of sorts, Pooja enjoys music and dance, taking part in various arts and cultural activities at her school, as well as participates whole heartedly in her academics. Her favourite subjects are Mathematics and English, and this bright young girl aims to become a teacher one day to pass on her knowledge.