Impact of mid-day meal on growing children

Over the years, the Mid-Day Meal Scheme has proved itself to be a supporting pillar in the overall development of children even at the grass root level of the society. The Scheme that was initiated by Government of India is being implemented by various Non-Governmental Organisations too. The Akshaya Patra Foundation is one among the various NGOs. Akshaya Patra began providing school lunch at five Government schools in Bengaluru city of Karnataka in 2000. This was even before the official central mandate in 2003 by the Government of India to provide free cooked mid-day meal at all Government schools. But after the mandate was passed, Akshaya Patra partnered with the Government of India in providing cooked meals at schools. Since then, Akshaya Patra has been working in a Public-Private Partnership model to achieve the six objectives of the Central Mid-Day Meal Scheme i.e.:

• Eliminating classroom hunger
• Increasing school enrolment
• Increasing school attendance
• Improving socialization among castes 
• Addressing malnutrition, and
• Women empowerment

During the course of implementing the mid-day meal programme for 15 years now, Akshaya Patra has also conducted impact studies of the programme in association with noted research organisations. The Akshaya Patra kitchen process and operations has also become a part of prestigious institutes like Harvard Business School. Below are mention of few impact studies that clearly showcase the significance and potential of the mid-day meal programme in eliminating classroom hunger, improving child health and also increasing enrolment and concentration of children.

• ‘Assessment of Mid-Day Meal Programme In 8 States’ by Sigma Research and Consulting Pvt. Ltd.
• ‘Impact Assessment Study Report of The Akshaya Patra Foundation - HPCL Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects (2012-13)’ by Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS)
• ‘Report on Measuring the Impact of Mid- Day-Meal on Child Growth’ by Department of Public Health Manipal University
• ‘Evaluation of the Mid-Day Meal Programme – June 2012’ by Kusuma Trust U.K.
• ‘Impact study 2012’ by Edumedia
• ‘Impact Assessment of The Akshaya Patra Foundation’s Mid-Day Meal Programme 2010’ by A.C. Nielsen
• ‘Akshaya Patra: Feeding India's School Children’ by Harvard business school

A click on Akshaya Patra Impact Studies will take you to the details of each of the above mentioned studies. To support Akshaya Patra, donate online to charity.

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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

Food and education: Two sides of a coin

In India, every child has the right to a quality, elementary education, and this right is fulfilled through the Right to Education Act provided under Article 21a of the Indian Constitution. This act provides for free and compulsory education to all children of India between the ages of six and 14. This act which has redefined the way children are treated and nurtured in this country came into effect on 1 April, 2010.

Karnataka: Ahead of the Curve

At The Akshaya Patra Foundation we have been striving towards realising our goal of feeding 5 million children across India by 2020, providing them with our tasty, nutritious mid-day meals so that no child need be denied education because of hunger.

Recently we were gratified to see our efforts reaping benefits when the Ministry of Human Resource and Development announced its first ever mid-day meals ranking of all the states that are part of the scheme, in a survey conducted across April to June, 2013.

Akshaya Patra Foundation Indian NGO ranked 23rd among Top 100 NGOs

In the Annual Ranking of NGOs by The Global Journal, the Indian NGO- The Akshaya Patra Foundation has been ranked 23rd among the Top 100 NGOs in the world. The Global Journal considered a pool of approximately 450 NGOs from across the world working for various causes. There were three key criteria based on which the ranking was done. They are: impact, innovation and sustainability.

A unique content media platform- The Global Journal provides in-depth coverage of global governance issues. In this ranking Akshaya Patra shares apace with many other reputed NGOs in India and abroad like BRAC, MSF, Path and the like.  This ranking has further boosted the level of motivation and confidence of the Foundation to work towards the children in India. The Foundation provides mid-day meal to Indian children studying in Government schools and Government-aided schools. Children in India who are in need of support is benefitting doubly out of this mid-day meal. First, these children are receiving one wholesome and nutritious meal everyday.  Second, they are able to continue their education and also concentrate better in their academics.

Studies show that there are millions of children in India who need to earn for their own meal at a tender age. Due to this, these children are unable to go to school for formal education. At this situation mid-day meal acts a breather for these children and their parents too. Mid-Day Meal Scheme is a Government initiative and under the aegis of the Government many NGOs in India implement the same in different areas. Akshaya Patra is one such NGO in India.

Headquartered in Bangalore- India, The Akshaya Patra Foundation has been implementing the mid-day meal programme since 2000. 12 years of tireless efforts has increased the Foundation’s reach to 9 states of India. Currently it is operating the programme in 19 locations and providing food to 1.3 million children in India. It has had a major impact in increasing school enrolment, sustaining attendance and bettering performance of the children. It employs some of the most innovative technologies in it’s kitchens for improved efficiency while preparing the meals. It aims at reaching out to 5 million children in India by 2020.

You too can be a part of this mission of the 23rd ranked Indian NGO. Join The Akshaya Patra Foundation today. 

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