By Ishita Agarwal
This is the vision of one of the largest NGO- run school meal programs in the world, the Akshaya Patra Foundation. Often economic restrictions force young children into child labor. In order to avoid such tragedies, Akshaya Patra has utilized innovative technology, as well as effective management to provide freshly prepared nutritious meals to students every day. The Akshaya Patra foundation recognizes the importance of education in a child’s life. They also recognize that not only do some families need an incentive to send their children to school, but children are also unable to achieve their full academic potential if they are hungry and malnourished. These meals encourage families to send their children to school, instead of to work, in order to get a meal. For many children, this is their only meal of the day; therefore Akshaya Patra ensures these meals provide key nutrients growing children need in order to develop vital cognitive abilities.
The hallmark of the program is the centralized kitchen facilities that have been engineered to optimize quality and minimize cost, time, and labor. In fact, Akshaya Patra is able to provide meals at a fraction of the cost of similar meal programs world-wide. At the same time, all kitchens adhere to international standards of quality control and hygiene. Today, Akshaya Patra operates in nine Indian states, across 9,200 schools. They provide meals to more than 1.3 million underprivileged school children every day. Through their continuous work, The Global Journal ranked Akshaya Patra #23rd of the Top 100 NGO’s in the world in its 2013 annual ranking. It was ranked the #1 NGO in the world in the category of “Children and Youth”.
The foundation has a dedicated network of supporters that not only contribute to the organization, but also believe in the Akshaya Patra vision. Deepak Chopra, the founder for the organization, exclaims, “Akshaya Patra is a perfect example of what happens when creativity and compassion come together”. Through all the empathetic work of supporters and management, Akshaya Patra is able to provide meals for a child for an entire academic year for only $15.00. Fareed Zakaria, journalist and host on CNN’s GPS, also esteems the organization’s work. “Akshaya Patra’s model is a global solution to reverse child hunger trends worldwide” (Fareed Zakaria).
The foundation’s work has also encouraged newer generations to become aware of the issues regarding world hunger and become involved in being part of the solution. Ishita Agrawal, a sophomore studying Business at Boston University, recently visited one of Akshaya Patra’s kitchens in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. She shares her thoughts on her experience:
“From all I had heard about the Akshaya Patra Foundation, I already had very high expectations for my visit. But still, I was completely blown away. Not only was the facility impressive, but so was the entire process. You could see the compassion and innovative thought that was put into every detail in the kitchen. No stone was left unturned. Everything from the machinery to the vessels was sanitized, and the steaming hot and nutritious food was delivered to 95,000 children in 925 schools.”
Following the kitchen, Ishita visited a nearby school Akshaya Patra feeds to interact with the children Akshaya Patra feeds.
“Hearing about the young children that Akshaya Patra serves is one thing, but seeing them in person is a completely different experience. We can all read about how these meals improve a child’s academic ability or how they encourage families to get education for their children. But seeing that delightedglint in a little boy’s eyes as you pour him some daal is an unparalleled experience. You can’t help but smile at how something so taken-for-granted can be the cause for such innocent joy in the lives of these young children.”
After her visit to the kitchen and the school, Ishita’s tour through the entire Akshaya Patra process was complete.
“After my incredible experience, I really understood what the foundation stood for. Living in first world countries, we take having education and food on our tables for granted. We don’t realize that basic necessities of life, such as food, are considered luxuries in other parts of the world. Hunger is such an ugly, unnecessary, and yet undeniable truth in the lives of too many children worldwide. Akshaya Patra really does have a viable solution to not only hunger, but also poverty and illiteracy. People often say that one person cannot change the world. But after my experience, I know that anybody could completely change the world in the eyes of these children. We all have the power to give them a bright future. Well done Akshaya Patra!”
The impact Akshaya Patra has is evident not only in the children they feed and their supporters, but also in the academic improvements in schools. AC Nielsen, the world’s leading marketing research information company, conducted an impact assessment of the program. The study demonstrated three things. They noticed an increase in enrollment of students in schools. The increase was especially demonstrated in female students. In addition, there was an improvement in the nutritional status with fewer underweight children. Finally, there was also improved academic performance due to better concentration skills in the students. Thus, it becomes evident that the meals that Akshaya Patra provides these children are changing their lives.
Such sentiments have also been expressed by teachers and head-masters at the schools Akshaya Patra provides meals for. One head-master at a small school in Gujarat said, “You can really see the difference. Many of these children come to school only so that they can get a meal. What they don’t realize is that they are also getting an education at the same time.” A teacher at the same school conveyed similar ideas. “The children have really been able to concentrate on their studies more. When they are hungry, they do not want to learn. The hunger takes over. If they are well fed, they are also much more interested in learning and expanding their horizons. I cannot thank Akshaya Patra enough.”
The program’s impressive reach and impact is still expanding. The organization hopes to be feeding five million children each day by the year 2020. To do so, they are heavily involved in fundraising to build more kitchens and grow their distribution to more states in India. Eventually, Akshaya Patra wants to rid the world of hunger. In the words of Narayana Murthy, Founder and Chairman of Emeritus, Infosys Limited, “What Akshaya Patra is doing in India is nothing but short of a revolution”.
