Akshaya Patra Foundation

Hunger continues to be a barrier to education and consequently a better life for millions of children across India. Many people prefer to send their children to work to support the family instead of sending them to school to get an education. Being out-of-school deprives these children of their Right to Education and Right to Aspire.

At the same time, those children who do make it to school are vulnerable to classroom hunger. As their families cannot afford two square meals, most of them come to school hungry, and as a result, are not able to concentrate on classroom activities. As a result, the very purpose of schooling is defeated. In these situations, a hot mid-day meal at school can go a long way in making life easier for millions of children and their families across the country.

Working with the Government, Akshaya Patra seeks to ensure that no child is deprived of education because of hunger. In providing one hot meal every school day, the Foundation upholds their Right to Food as well as their Right to Education and aspire. Nutritional meals ensure the cognitive development of children. Therefore, due importance is given to the nutritional profile of meals served.

Mid-day meals serve as incentives for children to attend school and for parents to send their children to school-instead of sending them to work to support the family. It improved the enrolment rate, attendance, performance and nutritional profile of the children and reduces the dropout rate, thus contributing to their Right to Education. It also serves as an economic support for the family by taking care of their child's one meal of the day.

Nutrition and education enhance the physical and psychological development of the child. Moreover, the program promotes socialization among children by fostering the habit of eating together. In the long run, this practice builds unity among them.

One hot meal puts children on the path to a brighter future.

Breakfast has been suggested to have a positive effect on learning in children in terms of behaviour, cognitive development and school performance.

Our Kitchens, starting with Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad are beginning to distribute nutritious breakfast options to energize children for a good start to their school day.

Your contributions will not just energise children for a good start but will also enable us to expand our feeding programme to other locations of India.

One of the essential forms of nurture is the nourishment that a mother provides to her newborn. Prenatal and postnatal care is vital for both, the mother and the child. The intake of proper nutrition is a significant contributor to good health for pregnant women, nursing mothers, and their infants. On the other hand, malnutrition in a mother has a direct impact on the infant – it can be intergenerational.

Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) established under the umbrella of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) are central to tackling the issue of intergenerational malnutrition. One of the primary goals of setting up AWCs is to improve the nutritional intake and therefore, the health of children from birth to age six, and pregnant women and nursing mothers. Such an intervention that improves access to nutrition and healthcare for its intended beneficiaries is vital.

We serve hygienically prepared nutritious food to around 150,000+ children between the age group 3 to 6 and about 10,000 pregnant & nursing/lactating mothers. We believe it is our social responsibility to support and help mothers and young children who are in dire need of nutrition. The Foundation ensures that the child gets proper nutrition right from the mother's womb, which is crucial for the child's physical and mental development.

The AVSAR Scholarship Program, developed by the Akshaya Patra Foundation, provides financial assistance to scholars pursuing post-secondary education. The goal of the program is to give students the opportunity and tools they need to shape a better career path and achieve their aspirations.

One core challenge in government schools is the high dropout rate after completing Class 10. Financial constraints often force brilliant children to leave the education system. The AVSAR Scholarship Program aims to eliminate this dropout rate and provide support to unprivileged students from marginalized communities to continue their education.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation's scholarship program incentivizes education and supports students who want to continue their education but are facing financial difficulties. By providing financial assistance, we aim to ensure that students from marginalized communities can access quality education and create a better future for themselves and their communities.

The Problem

Akshaya Patra has endeavored to utilize its kitchen infrastructure and resources to undertake emergency food assistance during natural disasters to provide nutrition & health support.

Over the years, we have enhanced our execution capabilities for humanitarian efforts through need-based approaches. These include providing freshly cooked food, utilizing our mobile kitchens, setting up temporary kitchens, and distributing food relief kits.

These feeding endeavors align with the National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013, which stresses food and nutritional security "by ensuring access to adequate quantities of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity", especially in times of need.

The Solution

Akshaya Patra's food recovery project rescues edible food that would otherwise go to waste and distributes it to those in need, tackling two critical issues at the same time: food waste and food insecurity.

The food recovery project is a step towards creating a more sustainable and equitable food system.