Every year on 25th December, people of all faiths rejoice on Christmas for it is marked by holidays, decorations, celebrations and positive energy everywhere.
It is the day Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, who is also believed to be the Son of God. He descended on earth despite being aware of his impending sufferings to rid his believers of misery. He was born to guide us on a path of hope and love, sacrificing himself for us.
The two most popular practices during Christmas celebrations are feasting on delicacies and the blissful exchange of gifts. Families and friends revel over lavish festive meals and have Santa Claus give their gifts to those they love.
On this day, the atmosphere across the globe is merry with laughter, colours, lights and gifts.
However, millions of people still live deprived of all these, even during Christmas celebrations.
Did you know?
According to the World Bank, about half of the world’s total number of extremely underprivileged individuals live in just five countries in Africa and Asia. And according to the 2022 Global Hunger Index, India suffers a level of hunger that is serious!
But your contribution can change that!
This Christmas, support NGOs that work for the underprivileged so that they also enjoy delightful meals and happy times. Your donation to The Akshaya Patra Foundation, a globally recognised 22-year-old NGO, can serve unlimited breakfast and lunch to socio-economically deprived children on this special day. It will help them attend school regularly and strive for better lifestyles without distractions.
Add goodwill to your Christmas celebrations with Akshaya Patra
We at Akshaya Patra, started in 2000 by nourishing 1,500 children in five Government schools of Karnataka as a part of the Government initiative – the Mid day Meal Programme (MDM), now called the PM Poshan Abhiyaan.
Today, we provide ‘unlimited food for education’ of 2 million children every day from 65 kitchens across 14 states and 2 union territories in India.
Additionally, support from various Governments and millions of donors globally, helped us launch programmes for pregnant women and nursing mothers hailing from marginalised communities.
We also began serving meals to homeless mothers who struggle to survive without families, homes and a stable mode of income. Through this initiative, we hope to take care of their basic need for nourishment and they can utilise their potential to work and rise against the odds.
We helped disaster victims during emergencies including the COVID-19 pandemic, floods, droughts and rainstorms.
But our NGO refuses to pause until we achieve our mission—to feed 3 million underprivileged school children every day by 2025.
Below are some of our initiatives we started in the year 2022 to achieve the same:
Breakfast Feeding Programme: Breakfast provides adequate nutrition to children, helping them attend school regularly with higher concentration and interest. They perform better in both scholastic and non-scholastic tasks while cultivating good behaviour as they grow. Without breakfast, children struggle with low memory recall and carry higher chances of making errors.
A study in Karnataka proved that at least 199 of 5,158 children get only one meal a day. Mid day meal (MDM) is the first meal for around 2.1 lakh children — not breakfast. Thus, we at Akshaya Patra began serving breakfast in addition to lunch, in Government and Government-aided schools.
Millets in mid day meals (MDM): Millets are five times more nourishing than rice and wheat. They digest well, strengthen the nervous system, nourish the muscular system, protect against lifestyle diseases and cancer risks, reduce cholesterol, and improve energy levels.
Furthermore, they can be cultivated in less fertile soils with small inputs of fertilisers and pesticides, contributing to sustainable food-growing measures in India.
Consequently, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nutrihub, the Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR) and the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) in August. Through this initiative, we aim to improve the nutritional content of school meals for Government school children across the country.
Support Akshaya Patra this Christmas. Donate for children.
Jesus Christ’s life was all about loving his devotees selflessly. So why not start your Christmas celebrations with the noble act of giving?
Share the blessings of health and wealth you received, with those in need. Make your lives pious this Christmas by donating towards the basic needs of food and education of underprivileged children.
