Delivering Fresh Meals to 13,210 Schools in India

See a bunch of kids playing football, shouting, grappling on the playground in the beautiful campus of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Primary School in Vadodara; it’s easy to spot Dashrath, a student of Class VII, making his way to the goal. This lad from Navayard, Vadodara is an avid sports lover and wishes to be a doctor. His parents work as labourers for the Vadodara Municipal Corporation and wish him to get educated so he could have a more prosperous life. 

This school is one of the 13,210 beneficiary schools of the Mid-Day Meal Programme run in tandem with the Government of India and executed by Akshaya Patra.

One of the top 10 NGOs in India, Akshaya Patra reaches out to 1,689,871 children in 26 locations across 11 states of India, providing them with freshly cooked meals on all school days. Of course, there’s a whole lot of machinery and infrastructure that has helped the organisation get such an expansive reach. Yet, one factor that stands out is a perfect co-ordination and empathy that exist between the government and Akshaya Patra. Both the institutions are in complete harmony and share the passion of reaching out to more and more school children each year with freshly cooked meals and facilitate education in the process. 

These are the top 3 factors that have led Akshaya Patra to serve fresh meals to 13,210 schools across India: 

1. Dietary norms: The Central Mid-Day Meal Scheme formulated by the Government of India has laid down dietary norms for the mid-day meals. A project report on mid-day meal assessing the programme in eight states, lists down the ingredients of the meals. The students of primary sections must get 450 calories, 12 grams of protein and adequate quantities of micro nutrients such as Iron, Folic Acid, and Vitamin-A, etc.  Similarly, the children of upper primary section must get 700 calories, 20 grams of protein and micro nutrients. This means that the meals contain food grains, pulses, oil and fat, vegetables and salt and condiments. Akshaya Patra kitchens strictly follow these dietary regulations. As a result of this attention to detail in supplying mid-day meals, parents are more willing to send their children since they know that the latter are being given completely healthy food. 

2. Innovation in governance: The Akshaya Patra Foundation follows Six-Sigma methodology in its centralised kitchens. All the centralised kitchens are equipped with cauldrons, trolleys, rice chutes, dal/sambar tanks, cutting boards, knives and other similar equipment that are sanitised before usage. The North Indian kitchens are equipped with rice cauldrons and dal cauldrons. The quality control process has been adapted from Food Safety Standards Act 2006 (FSSA). The rest of the process of procurement of raw material to cooking and delivery, follows similar standardised norms. Recently, Akshaya Patra was awarded for its innovation in governance. Implementing Mid-Day Meal Programme to thousands of schools as per the standards set by the government takes more than passion and vision, it takes careful planning and meticulous process. 

3. Accountability: Perhaps one of the most common factors among the top 10 NGOs in India is their ability to bring in accountability in implementation of schemes and programmes along with the government. In order to feed these many schools across the state, Akshaya Patra needs to be extremely accountable for every resource it gets and every penny it spends on getting things done. The NGO complies by the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and Indian Accounting Standards so as to keep high standards of transparency of the funds that are being given in charity donations to the organisation. Our focus on transparency has been recognised and rewarded on various platforms but that’s not what truly motivates us here. The accountability for workers of the women self-help groups, volunteers and thousands of staff comes naturally with the joy of serving school-going children across India.

The Mid-Day Meal Programme for school children in India is aimed at avoiding classroom hunger, increase school enrollment and attendance, improve socialisation among castes, address undernourishment and empower women through employment. The Food for Education initiative is a mission that involves an entire ecosystem including those who give away charity donations so generously. You can become a part of this mission. Donate today!

Celebrate a Noiseless Diwali with Akshaya Patra!

Every year, Diwali arrives with the noise of fireworks and ends with a lot of air pollution. So what can be done to lessen the impairment? We believe it is the little lamps that we light in our homes that display the authentic essence of Diwali. This festive season, take an oath to make this festival noise-free and more meaningful!

Diwali, also known as Deepawali, is celebrated with grandeur across the length and breadth of India. The festival of lights is so popular that the day is an official holiday in many places across the globe, including Malaysia, Singapore, and Sri Lanka. While the night sky is lit up with colourful sparkles, will you pledge to make this festive season more meaningful?

Akshaya Patra, a children’s NGO in India, urges you to opt for a noise-free Diwali by choosing a box of sweets over fireworks, or by donating to children’s charity fund instead of wasting on firecrackers. Through our Mid-Day Meal Programme, we provide nutritious meals to over 1.6 million school children on every school day. This Diwali, you can pledge to support these children by lighting the lamp in your heart. With a small contribution, you can help children continue their education!

Sponsor a child and win tax exemptions!

If you are planning to do some charity this Diwali, Akshaya Patra could be your answer! Every donation of Rs 500 or above to Akshaya Patra is eligible for 100% tax exemption under section 35 AC or 50% tax exemption under Section 80 G of the Indian Income Tax.

This year, let’s embrace the spirit of Diwali with a spark! Choose whether you want to celebrate with box of fireworks or with a box of sweets. Be a part of the change and support Akshaya Patra’s food for education initiative today.

World Food Day - Akshaya Patra’s Role in Ending Hunger

As we approach the World Food Day (recognised by Food and Agriculture Organisation of UN) on October 16, the fight to end hunger must get stronger. This year’s theme ‘Climate is changing; Food and agriculture must too’ draws attention to one of the global issues related to hunger – food security. Akshaya Patra, a children’s NGO urges you to get involved in eradicating food security among school children.

Starting with 1,500 children in 2000, reaching 1.6 million children and growing, Akshaya Patra has actively campaigned in this fight against hunger. Akshaya Patra’s Mid-Day Meal Programme, run in active collaboration with the government, is one such initiative that aims to reach children with nutritious meals. And the mission will not stop here. You may also choose to join the cause or make a donation in honour of someone you love. 

Around 30% of children in India in the age group of 1 to 5 years of age are underweight. In order to address this situation, the role of NGOs such as Akshaya Patra becomes vital. The support from government is another essential aid in the endeavour to end hunger. The Indian Government has proactively participated in the cause helping to make the process smoother so more children could be reached.

Akshaya Patra’s vision “No child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger” stands strong as it aims at loftier goals towards providing mid-day meal benefits to school children. This vision, however, can only be attained by ensuring availability of wholesome food to children across many government-run schools in different parts of India. Present with its kitchens across 26 places in 11 cities, Akshaya Patra has often gone beyond the role of an NGO. The Mid-Day Meal Programme aims to benefit not only in terms of provision of food but also in terms of ensuring proper education. 

On World Food Day, let us take you through the cooking process of Akshaya Patra meals. The Akshaya Patra Foundation runs its operations through two kitchen models: Centralised and Decentralised.

Centralised kitchens are semi-automated mega kitchen units that have the capacity to typically cook up to 100,000 meals a day and serve a set of schools located around the units. These units ensure optimum hygiene during the cooking process. The technology and process used in centralised kitchens have been a topic of research and study in the course curriculum of many renowned universities such as Harvard.

Decentralised kitchens are set up in locations where factors like unfavourable geographical terrain and improper road connectivity do not support the construction of large infrastructure. The units are run by women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) under the guidance and supervision of Akshaya Patra’s kitchen process and operations module.

With this large and hygienic system, Akshaya Patra also ensures that the nutritious meals suit the local palate. For example, the kitchens in North India prepare chapatis and in the South, rice. As this is the only source of nutrition for many of the organisation’s beneficiaries, it is cooked with ample ingredients to fulfill an individual’s one day nutrition requirement.

Akshaya Patra is continuously leveraging technology to cater to millions of children and it is important mentioning that it could not have been possible without the donors who care to volunteer and give their undivided contribution to the cause and to the vision of Zero hunger. If you also feel for the cause, do not hesitate to make a donation in honour of someone. So, this World Food Day, donate or pledge to donate and aid the endeavor to eradicate hunger.

Meals with a Motto - Akshaya Patra's Mission

Indian meals worldwide are known for their variety of spices and flavours. In fact, Indian food theory states that our food has six different flavours: bitter, sour, salty, astringent, spicy and sweet.

That’s precisely why Akshaya Patra’s kitchens smell of amazing spices and flavours in meals that are cooked in stringent hygiene conditions. For us, feeding more children doesn’t mean compromising on the quality. We believe every Indian child is entitled to a complete meal replete with all the six flavours of the Indian Food Theory.

We wish to provide the benefits of mid-day meals to 5 million children by the end of 2020. Akshaya Patra recently celebrated the serving of 2 Billion Meals while the count so far is 2.12 Billion Meals. We strongly believe that no child must go hungry and that each child has the right to receive nutritious meal every day for ensuring his/her physical and mental growth.

Benefits of Mid-Day Meals

Since the year 2000, The Akshaya Patra Foundation has been running a feeding programme in active collaboration with the government. Today, it is the world’s largest NGO-run feeding programme serving over 1.6 million children across 13,210 in 26 locations of 11 Indian states. But when we started off, our ambition was not to become world’s largest, our mission was to feed the largest possible number of children. Currently, we are running the Joy of Giving festival which would conclude on October 8, 2016. You can join us in celebrating the joy by feeding the hungry.

What truly drive us are the various benefits that the children get through Mid-Day Meals. Here are some:

- Children are motivated to come to school due to a nutritious free of cost meal available in their nearest schools

- Parents are now sending girls to schools since one-time meal of a girl child is taken care of

- Children with an inclination for studies are encouraged to pursue vocations and have aspirations

- The Mid-Day Meal Programme also involves an overall development of children through formal education and teaching facilities

Meals with a Motto

Akshaya Patra has been able to transform the lives of millions of children in the last 16 years in its mission to provide ‘Unlimited Food for Education.’ The organisation is now on a mission to complete 5 billion meals by the end of 2020 – an ambition that it aims at achieving by channelising people and organisations.

Feeding the hungry is a noble cause but it needs a plan, a well thought-out framework and in our case, a lot of accountability. We don’t just encourage donations but also make sure that people know where their money is going and how exactly it is being used. We have a strong mechanism to ensure that people contribute with all their heart not just mechanically using technology. Stories about our NGO have reached almost all the states in their languages including our national language Hindi.

Apart from online donations, people may also contribute by registering for corporate volunteering or fundraising.  We urge you to join our mission. We promise to be transparent and determined to reach our targets of feeding the hungry.

Akshaya Patra Serving a Plateful of Smiles | World Smile Day 2016

A warm smile is the universal language of kindness. No one said it better than late William Arthur Ward, a renowned author, who rightly related smile with kindness. It’s the principle that has inspired several acts of philanthropy around the world.

Here’s a quick bite on World Smile Day! A commercial artist named Harvey Ball, who is known to have created the Smiley Face, initiated this day back in 1963 with a similar thought in mind. After his death in 2001, the Harvey Ball World Smile Foundation created the slogan – Improving the world, one smile at a time. And smile, often the result of a moment of happiness, is a thing to be shared and spread around.

For many people around the world, just getting decent meals for one day is a matter of happiness. On World Smile Day, let’s pledge to donate to charity. If you have any non-profit fundraising ideas related to providing meals to school children, it will definitely help Akshaya Patra in spreading smiles.

Healthy Meals for Kids

For children, food is directly related to happiness. A child’s day consists of the games he plays and the food he eats. And so at Akshaya Patra, feeding hungry children is not only a duty but also a matter of happiness. Through our Mid-Day Meal Programme, we strive to spread smiles with each meal. Being the world’s largest not-for-profit Mid-Day Meal Programme, the organisation serves wholesome food to over 1.6 million children in India.

What truly drives our initiative, however, is the smiles of various children who are now motivated to study and come to school. That’s because we believe it’s also equally vital to ensure their happiness in future by making them independent and educated. We wish to spread the happiness of aspirations among these children by taking care of their meals in school so they could focus on their mental and physical growth.

In government schools in India, several children have a natural acclivity for academics. They have dreams and are often inspired to make a difference in the environment around them. One such student is Bhanupriya who studies in a Government Higher Primary School in Bengaluru. Talking about her aspirations, she says, “There are many people who are unwell. I wish to be a doctor and serve them. I would treat poor patients for free.” (Read her story at Stories of Children)

Bhanupriya, like her counterparts in private schools around the country, has ambitions of her own. Dearth of resources around her is in no way a hurdle to her dreams but she makes the best of her school education and studies diligently. With the motto ‘food for education,’ Akshaya Patra aims at ensuring future happiness of children.

Happiness is Feeding the Hungry

Akshaya Patra offers several opportunities and invites people to contribute for the cause of happiness. We strive to engage people in civic-minded activities through non-profit fundraising ideas. Fundraising is definitely one of the most effective ways to help a cause – you can help feed a child for an entire academic year by donating only Rs 950!

Akshaya Patra’s Mid-Day Meal Programme is run with the support of the government and many individuals and corporates. With small contribution, you can engage in deeper acts of happiness and kindness – it may turn out to be more rewarding than you think as you join hands with an organisation that has made a huge difference since the year 2000.

We have found a way to spread happiness through meals, have you? Donate today!

Here’s an Easy Way to Fundraise with Akshaya Patra!

Approaching an issue with the right solution can have a powerful and positive impact. Akshaya Patra is no different. When we realised the importance of eliminating hunger among children, Mid-Day Meal Programme was implemented in the year 2000, which is currently operational in 13, 210 schools in 11 states across India. You too can get involved in feeding the hungry by fundraising with us!

Fundraising is simple and easy!

Fundraising generally involves many tasks - creating the campaign, communicating the cause, engaging people, raising funds, and all of this could be time-consuming. Akshaya Patra has made this entire process quick and easy on its website. Keeping simplicity in mind, Akshaya Patra allows registered users to create online fundraising campaigns on the website in only a few steps. You can start raising funds from work or home and also engage people from across the globe.

As a donor, we often underestimate the impact of a small amount. However, each fundraising campaign on Akshaya Patra is meaningful – the little and large charity donations we receive make a difference to many children’s lives. One of Akshaya Patra’s well-wishers created a ‘Live for Others’ charity fundraising campaign on the website and within four months, the campaign raised enough funds to feed 793 children for an entire year! To view more campaigns, visit active campaigns.

Akshaya Patra nurtures over 1.6 million school children every day with healthy mid-day meals and this undertaking promises a better future for our children. It is the Foundation’s mission to empower children, reduce school drop-out rate, and keep children healthy. As India progresses towards a hunger-free nation, you can support the programme along the way too with charity fundraising campaign for Akshaya Patra.

We urge you to get involved with Akshaya Patra in eliminating classroom hunger. Join the movement today and help us create awareness at a global level!

Akshaya Patra’s Magnanimous Journey in Karnataka

We have served 2 billion meals. The Akshaya Patra Foundation, an NGO based out of Bengaluru, celebrated the serving of 2 billion mid-day meals, in the presence of Honourable President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee. Having been in the service of children for 16 years now, this NGO for children is here to make a difference in many young lives by crafting a healthy future for them. Thanks to the Government of India for its outpouring support towards Akshaya Patra’s Mid-Day Meal Programme, there has been a steady rise in school attendance as well.

We are only a few days close to observing National Nutrition Week and while we will be discussing what ‘Nutrition’ means to us in our future blogs, let us brief you on how our journey of Mid-Day Meal Programme has panned out in Karnataka.

After Akshaya Patra stepped forward to provide mid-day meals to school children which would later go on to become the world’s largest NGO-run school lunch programme, the Indian government and many donors from across the globe have supported the initiative in many ways possible. Since its inception in 2000, Akshaya Patra has spread its wings across 11 states in the country feeding over 1.6 million children on every school day. This NGO for children believes that every child deserves a fair chance in the field of education and therefore, decided to fight classroom hunger through school lunch programme.

Our Journey of Unlimited Food for Education

• For Akshaya Patra, the journey began in 2000 with a feeding programme for 1,500 school children in Bengaluru

• The following year, the Government made it a right for every child studying in their schools to avail mid-day meals within the school premises

• In 2003, our Foundation became the first to take public-private partnership forward in social sector with the Government of Karnataka signing an MoU for MDM for children

• We went beyond Bengaluru. In 2004, we set up kitchens in Hubballi, Mangaluru and Mysore to feed more children

• In 2007, a second centralised kitchen was set up in Bengaluru in Vasanthpura, which currently feeds 1,01,541 children

• In 2012, Akshaya Patra served the billionth meal, one of the major milestones for this children’s NGO and in 2016, we crossed serving of 2 billion meals

Today, Akshaya Patra serves more than 5 lakh children in Karnataka alone. On this exceptional journey of defeating hunger among children, we urge you to join us and witness a changing society. If today’s children are fed nutritious meals and are ensured quality education, we will be creating a secure future not just for us but also for the next generation to come.

A famous proverb tells us that ‘little by little, little becomes a lot.’ To be able to feed 5 million children by 2020, we will need your help. You can donate an amount of your choice or you can sponsor a child by donating Rs 950. If changing a life makes you a proud citizen, then Akshaya Patra’s cause is for you!