The morning air felt fresher and newer on 15th August 1947. It was the first day that India was independent, after decades of being suppressed under the rule of the British Government. India celebrates this day as Independence Day with great patriotism and joy.

On Independence day, the Prime Minister of India hoists the flag at Red Fort. Honouring all the freedom fighters on this day, August 15th is declared as a national holiday in India. However, government offices, schools and colleges function for 2-3 hours to celebrate this day with great enthusiasm. The national flag is unfurled in the premises, followed by the singing of the national anthem, patriotic songs and dance performances of children.

History of Independence Day

The British Government wanted to end its rule in India in June 1948. But, due to the huge loss of capital and revenue, it was rescheduled by a year to 1947. After Jawaharlal Nehru’s speech on the midnight of 14th August 1947, India was a free nation.

Celebrating 78 years of its freedom, India still remembers its fighters and pays a tribute to the young people who fought then.

Young children are the flagbearers of an optimistic tomorrow.

Today, India is the second-largest country with a large and young labour force.

Children will be the next working group when they get the right amount of education that will direct them to reach their goals. In order to encourage more children to study and complete their education, the Government of India came up with many initiatives, like PM POSHAN Abhiyaan (Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Programme). According to this programme, mid-day meals (MDM) would be provided to children studying in government and government-aided schools. India runs the largest school feeding programme and many NGOs in India implement the Programme.

In order to improve the nutritional status of children, The Akshaya Patra Foundation started feeding school meals to 1,500 children in 2000 and is recognised as the world’s largest NGO-run school meal programme for feeding 2.2 million children every day. By providing school meals, children gain the confidence to dream.

38% children between the ages 6 months to 5.5 years, suffer from chronic malnutrition.

In order to change this scenario, various NGOs work ardently for the betterment of children. The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a 20-year old NGO in India that has constantly worked to address two major issues – food and education. What started off as a simple act of feeding 1,500 children in Bengaluru, is now recognised as the world’s largest NGO-run school meal programme, implementing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in India.

As on today, Akshaya Patra feeds 1.8 million children studying in 19,039 Government schools and Government-aided schools every day. This charity in India is spread across 52 locations and serves from its centralised and decentralised kitchen where nutrition, hygiene, and quality are of topmost priority. The Foundation is present across the states of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Daman and DNH, Delhi, Odisha, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.

To know about the different types of kitchens present in each state, click here.

Mid-day meals help in improving the overall health of children and aids in better concentration in class. School meals also bring a change in their overall development where they grow physically and mentally. Akshaya Patra aims to feed 5 million children who hail from challenging socio-economic conditions by 2025.

1/4th of world’s undernourished population lives in India
With 25.7% of people living in low-income sections of the society, it is estimated that these numbers will drastically increase given the outbreak of COVID-19. The Akshaya Patra Foundation extended its service to the nation to help the needy and marginalised section combat the virus and live a healthy life. The Foundation began its COVID relief service on 25th March 2020 by serving freshly prepared meals and distributing dry grocery kits that can help a family of two with ration that could provide 42 meals for a period of 21 days.

Since the beginning of Akshaya Patra’s COVID-19 food relief service, 2,67,55,422 cooked meals have been served and 7,22,663 grocery kits have been distributed to people living in marginalised communities of India that comprises of construction site workers, migrant labourers, daily-wage workers and the needy people at old-age homes and night shelters.

To know more about the state-wise relief activities, click here.

Impact of your donation to fight hunger
By feeding children and adults with daily meals, you are helping in:
• Building their immunity to fight malnourishment and various diseases.
• Giving them strength to perform daily activities.
• Helping them concentrate and focus better.
• Helping them stay calmer.

To help marginalized communities fight the virus, click here.

How can you contribute to fight against hunger?
• You can support the feeding of children with the Mid-Day Meal Programme, here.
• You can serve meals with Akshaya Patra’s COVID relief fund, here.
• You can become our social ambassador by following us on various social media platforms and sharing our posts and updates regularly.
• You can raise funds by organising a Fundraising campaign online here.

Every little support helps us move forward to feed children and the needy, one step at a time