Every single beneficiary of Akshaya Patra, an NGO in India holds a special corner in the organisation’s heart. The food that reaches over 1.76 million (17,62,133) school children across 12 states and 42 locations in India happens to be an incentivising factor that pulls them to school.

So, who and how many are waiting to go back to school in this new academic year?

Going back to school may not be that pleasing for many but for Akshaya Patra beneficiaries across India, it means LIFE. These children come from a not-so-privileged background. Indeed, by heading out to school they look forward to continue their schooling, fulfil their dreams and make their parents proud of themselves. Here are some states with our beneficiary voices who along with many are waiting to be heard and supported for school and mid-day meals.

4,49,079 CHILDREN – KARNATAKA
18 years ago, we began our journey of providing nutritious school lunch to children, right from this very state of Karnataka. We have grown from feeding 1500 children (at inception in 2000) to 4,49,079 children currently.

3,99,113 CHILDREN – GUJARAT
Akshaya Patra’s healthy school meals enable 3,99,113 school children with plenty of energy to perfect their playtime along with studies. With people’s support we want to drive this figure further up.

2,78,479 CHILDREN – RAJASTHAN
Akshaya Patra is striving harder to extend its reach in Rajasthan so more & more children can benefit from the school lunch programme. Read what Parvati from Baran, Rajasthan has to say – “Due to financial constraints, my father only allowed my brothers to attend school. I always dreamt of having my own set of books. I knew that if I was given a chance, I will do much better than my brothers in school. To help reduce their burden, I somehow convinced my parents to allow me to go to school by telling them that they don’t have to worry about my lunch because the school was providing lunch served by Akshaya Patra. Today, I am the only girl in the family who has been studying.” We feed 2,78,479 children in Rajasthan and want to do more.

2,16,818 CHILDREN – UTTAR PRADESH
This is the number of children who are counting on your support to go back to school in order to continue their schooling with regular mid-day meals. Ensure your support to empower them with school meals & education.

1,50,375 CHILDREN – ODISHA
Akshaya Patra focuses on health and children education. We nourish to educate children at Bhubaneswar, Puri, Nayagarh and Rourkela in Odisha. Akshaya Patra mid-day meals rear confidence in children from small communities where education is a hard won luxury. Recently, due to cyclone Fani our Puri kitchen saw devastation. However, we are determined to making the Puri kitchen operational at the earliest so that it can restart feeding the much-needed school meals to children. We feed 1,50,375children in Odisha and want to do more.

1,36,970 CHILDREN – TELANGANA
“The mid-day meal served by Akshaya Patra is very important for us especially while we are studying because it improves concentration. I want to thank the Foundation for providing nutritious mid-day meals to us,” says Kiran (our beneficiary child) from Telangana. We feed 1,36,970 children in Telangana and want to do more.

62,024 CHILDREN – ANDHRA PRADESH
Many children walk long distances to reach school every day. However, all that becomes worthy when they get books to learn, healthy school lunches and time to play. 62,024 children whom we fed on every school day looks up to go back to school.

32,292 CHILDREN – ASSAM
32,292 – yes, this is the total number of children we’re feeding in Assam. Sometimes, it becomes difficult to deliver food to locations in Assam where geographical terrain and road connectivity is bad. Thanks to our dedicated meal distribution vehicle drivers who consider delivering food for children education as important as breathing for existence.

13,139 CHILDREN – CHATTISGARH
“We came to Bhilai from Ranjangaon. My father brought us here to look for a job. In a few weeks he mysteriously disappeared leaving us devastated. Thankfully, my sisters and me had been admitted to a school where lunch was free. I want to become a teacher when I grow up and ensure all the children in my village are educated – Ashwini.” And there are 13,139 children like Ashwini whom we have been feeding in Chhattisgarh.

22,203 CHILDREN – MAHARASHTRA
Akshaya Patra, NGO for child education nurtures the future of 22,203 school going children in Maharashtra by providing them freshly cooked mid-day meals on all school days. Take a look at why Manisha, one of our beneficiaries in Maharashtra wants to go back to school. “I study in Deaf and Dumb Industrial Institute in Shankar Nagar locality, Nagpur. I want to become a seamstress. So I want to go back to my school.”

910 CHILDREN – TRIPURA
Foraying into the remotely located Kashirampara in North Tripura, we have started feeding and supporting school supplies of 910 tribal children from Reang Tribe.

731 CHILDREN – TAMIL NADU
Akshaya Patra is committed to implement the Mid-Day Meal Programme by ensuring the highest standards of food safety and hygiene. With the mid-day meals we intend to bring children back to school. Indeed, time is ticking for 731 children (whom we feed in Tamil Nadu) for their chance to attend school for another academic year.

AND THE TOTAL NUMBER COUNTS TO
17,62,133 CHILDREN
ALL EXCITED TO GET AHEAD IN LIFE WITH ANOTHER SCHOOL YEAR.

Many a times you may have booked movie tickets for you and your loved ones, this time
book benches in classroom to ensure more children can come back to school.

It is no doubt that the magic of photographs is timeless! And to explore the world of photography with children as the focus, The Akshaya Patra Foundation had initiated the ‘Click a Smile’, an annual online photography competition in 2013. With the objective to spread smiles and hopes, Akshaya Patra has pinned one main criterion for this competition i.e. only happy pictures of a child or children will be accepted and exhibited in the contest. These photographs can be from anywhere in the world and in any setting – home, school, playground, or the neighbourhood.

The ‘Click a Smile’ photo contest is open for all regardless of age and nationality, and also encourages amateurs and professional photographers to participate in it. Since the beginning this contest has received an overwhelming response from across the world with more than 1,500 entries from across 70 countries, each year. Below are some of the criteria for Click a Smile – 2018:

• The photography contest is open from 20 November 2018 to 30 December 2018. All entries must be submitted within this time period;
• Each participant is allowed to submit a maximum of three photographs;
• Only digital (JPEG format) photographs within the resolution range of 800 pixels to 4MB will qualify for the contest;
• There is no registration fee for participating in the contest;
• The shortlisted entries will be judged by a panel of professionals from the photography industry; and
• The winners of the photo contest will receive trophies, certificates, and gift vouchers.

Not just prizes, all the winning entries will be published in Akshaya Patra’s official page for the ‘Click a Smile’ contest!

Well, it’s time to capture the joy of children and spread smiles all around you. It is time to capture that one moment which can brighten up your day even after many years from now. It is time to re-experience innocence, to jump on a puddle of water and to remember the good old friends. It is time to relive your childhood. And, as they say, ‘more the merrier’, so as you participate, invite your friends to join in too.

To register and know more about this photography contest, click here.

For detailed terms and conditions, please click here.