NGO in Karnataka Helping Children Eat Healthy Food

Nearly 20 million young children in the world are malnourished and more than one third of all child deaths come from malnutrition.  In India, efforts have been going on to tackle this problem. This was how The Akshaya Patra Foundation, a NGO implementing the mid-day meal programme, was born. Starting its work as a NGO in Karnataka back in 2000, the organisation is now spread across 24 locations in 10 Indian states and feeds 1.4 million underserved children. The stories of hope revealed by Akshaya Patra beneficiaries show the importance of food and education in life and are also good enough to be converted into inspirational moral stories for children.  The initiative has received wide recognition and people from different parts of the world have come forward to support the cause and donate to NGO.

Most of these children come from low income families and the free lunches have helped make a huge difference in their lives.  While talking to the Akshaya Patra, NGO in Karnataka, children have revealed how the nutritious meals have helped them to concentrate in studies and set high goals in life. Having high aspirations in life, these young students have served as inspirations for moral stories for children.

Akshaya Patra beneficiaries have revealed their readiness to serve the society as teacher, police officer or soldier.  Sakshita, an 8^th standard student of Zilla Parishad High School in Patancheru, is a topper in her class and wants to teach rural children; while Darshan, a 14-year-old student of the Government Lower Primary School in Dasrahalli, wants to join the Indian Army.  Harsha, a class IX student at The Government High School in Shivnahalli, who lost his mother at a young age, wants to become a police officer and help society. Though these children have acknowledged the role of Akshaya Patra’s mid-day meal in making a difference in their lives, the organisation attributes its success to the people who donate to charity generously.

The organisation provides innumerable options for people who want to donate to NGO.  Most importantly, donating online can help save tax. A contribution of ₹ 500 or more can get 100% tax exemption in India. Feeding a child a year costs only ₹ 750 and the organisation also accepts donations in the form of a kitchen equipment or meal delivery van. 

The NGO in Karnataka operates in six places and feeds 463,682 children from 2,629 schools.  Two kitchens- HK Hill and Vasanthpura are located in Bengaluru, while the other four kitchens function in other parts of Karnataka like Ballari, Hubballi, Mangaluru and Mysuru.  Akshaya Patra takes extra care to ensure that school children get all the nutrients needed for growth. To make the meal more appealing, these kitchens have designed special menus for Karnataka which include sambar, rasam, dal and rice.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation wants to serve more school children in India so that classroom hunger will disappear for good and all we get are good moral stories for children from all locations we serve at.