NGO in Ahmedabad and its Mid-Day Meal

A land of legendary tales and a region with over 60 rivers, Gujarat is one of the states that Akshaya Patra has been able to connect with to implement a very promising Mid-Day Meal Programme. The Akshaya Patra Foundation, an NGO for children, which implemented the mid-day meal scheme in 2007 in Gujarat, aims to curb classroom hunger among government school children in India by providing freshly cooked meals for lunch. The Bengaluru-based organisation is set up as an NGO in Ahmedabad and many other cities and also has the permit to receive tax deductible donation.

In Gujarat alone, Akshaya Patra has set up three state-of-the-art kitchen facilities which distribute mid-day meals to over 400,158 school children. Quality being one of the highest priorities for Akshaya Patra, it has led the kitchens in the state to receive ISO certification. Through financial aid from donors and Government of Gujarat, Akshaya Patra has been able to stabilise its operations in all the three locations: Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat.

Here is Vikas Solanki’s story that could be synonymous to many other children’s scenario. Vikas, who lives near Vadodara is a young boy with dreams of becoming a Civil Engineer to work on construction projects. He is hopeful about his aspirations because his education is now a guarantee. We have observed that the children who come from an economically disadvantaged background, the only source of their survival is food. Ever since Akshaya Patra has stepped forward to feed hot and nutritious meals to millions of children in India, children's education has been a guarantee. Vikas and his sisters have been Akshaya Patra’s beneficiaries and the mid-day meal programme reduces the burden on this family.

In 2014, when the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Smt. Anandiben Patel inaugurated a fully-automated kitchen in Ahmedabad, she said, “If we can provide quality food to children through mid-day meals, we can drastically decrease the dropout ratio.” In 2010, Forbes Magazine rated Ahmedabad as the third fastest growing city in the world. However, in a study done by a chief economist at the National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER) in 2011, states that Gujarat has high levels of hunger while it also boasts of high income. Such rankings not only indicate economic progress but also demand for stability.

Akshaya Patra, NGO for Children spreads across 10 states of India, is working towards a hunger-free nation especially among school children. Although there are many initiatives that The Foundation is proud of, the main focus continues to be hunger relief among school goers through nutritious mid-day meals every day! To ensure that a child is not deprived of education due to hunger, you can contribute Rs. 750 which feeds a child for an entire year! By donating, you can get your benefits too. When you donate Rs. 500 and over to Akshaya Patra, it will be considered as tax deductible donation.