The power of the people manifested itself to win India freedom from an oppressive colonial power in 1947 and January 26, 1950, cemented its position in history as a republic. We, the people of India, are the ones who made this Republic; who continue to make this Republic.

Every revolution in the world started with We, the people. The will of the ordinary man fused with that of his/her fellow citizens to form a force. This force, against oppression, against the denial of basic rights, became a movement and permeated the collective conscience of the people. It instigated them to rise in revolt against the forces that kept them from their right to liberty, justice, equality and a decent life.

The preamble of the Constitution of India talks about ‘EQUALITY of status and of opportunity’. One of the important means to ensure this equality is by making education and its fruits available to the children of this great nation, who are brimming with potential. Making this a reality is full of challenges. A study conducted by UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) jointly with Global Education Monitoring Report in 2016, found that 47 million children dropped out of school by Std X. It also revealed that India has the third highest number of out-of-primary school children at 2.9 million, who have never attended school. One of the biggest roadblocks to education in the country is poverty, the study found.

Although the statistics of children attending schools in India is a little worrying, however, there is room for improvement. Our national development plans need to focus on the root cause that is poverty, which has forced many children quit education to support their family. Child labour is one such plague which is a direct outcome of poverty and due to this social and economic differences often families prefer earning instead of educating their children. A proper meal is all that these children look for every day and we as a society need to fight hunger and provide better opportunities to the young minds.

Role of NGOs and role of a social worker is crucial in today’s generation as they help us reach the ground level. We as a part of the society can build a system where children are fed properly and given equal opportunities irrespective if their background. The mid-day meals provided by Akshaya Patra works as an encouragement for all these children who might come from a challenging background but has high hopes and big dreams to achieve.

Akshaya Patra works in partnership with the Central and State governments of India to implement its Mid-Day Meal Programme, the largest of its kind in the world operated by an NGO.

With over 1.6 million beneficiaries in 12 Indian states, the Foundation’s ‘Unlimited Food for Education’ philosophy has fed the dreams of numerous children over the years. Its immediate mission is to feed 5 million children by 2020 every day, with a nutritious school lunch cooked in its ISO-certified, state-of-the-art kitchens.

Let this Republic Day celebration be towards the fulfilment of the dreams of India’s young hearts and minds. Pledge to feed the children and help the nation take a leap towards progress by contributing to a bright future lit with success and education.

December is a good time to look back upon the year that’s gone by. This makes December 5 an apt day to be International Volunteer Day. Various volunteer institutions and individual volunteers, understanding the need for their contribution to society, have selflessly been a part of various volunteer activities throughout the year.

This reminds us of the recent floods in Gorakhpur and Gujarat, where the contribution by various volunteers has been commendable. They have helped the denizens cope with the damage caused by the disaster.

International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development, also known an International Volunteer Day (IV Day), is a great day to recall all of their contributions. It is a day dedicated by the United Nations since 1985 to give a people an opportunity to make visible contributions.

Theme this year:

The theme for 2017 – ‘Volunteers Act First. Here. Everywhere.’ recognises volunteers as the first person available to help times of crisis. They ensure their presence around us in times of need, save lives and support people. They brave dangers to help others. They are driven by the will to make a difference to those in need of assistance. This year, the day recognises contribution of such individuals and organisations.

Why volunteering?

The contribution by volunteers help in implementing new global goals. The development can be sustainable and mobilise and engage Governments and communities. It’s not about money all the time. While the individual and community benefits from the effort put in the volunteers, it can have a lasting impact on the progress of the individual themselves.

• Wellbeing

Volunteering for a cause makes a person feel a sense of accomplishment. According to The Corporation for National and Community Service, volunteering improves psychological and physical health. It helps them build social networks.

• Resume building

Such activities help in building resume. The mention of these in your resume demonstratesthat volunteer work is also an important part of your resume. A history of volunteering activities in your resume shows your willingness to work for the betterment of the society.

• Positive parenting

Volunteer activities are important to teach children the importance of sharing and caring among children. Developing these emotions in children well in advance can make them responsible individuals.

Akshaya Patra’s role in social development

With a mission to ensure that no child in India is deprived of education due to hunger, the organisation performs a selfless task of delivering freshly-made nutritious meals to over 1.6 million children across India. The Foundation runs the largest NGO-run school lunch programme.

The meals are cooked in our 34 kitchens in 32 locations across India. The dishes are prepared in a way that the meal meets the nutritional guidelines prescribed by the Government under the Mid Day Meal Scheme. This initiative ensures that the children get nutritious meals once in a day so that they turn out to be healthy individuals.

The programme has been running successfully with support from the Central and State Governments.

Be a volunteer

The Foundation invites individuals and corporates to be a part of the cause by volunteering with us. You can either be physically present or raise funds for the cause online.

You can help the kitchen staff prepare meals by cutting vegetables. You can help in offloading the vegetables at the kitchen or help the staff in loading the trucks with cooked meals. You can serve children in school and organise some activities for children at their schools.

If time is a constraint, you can help the Foundation by sharing information about the cause on your social media networks. You can start a fundraising campaign on our website.

Volunteer with The Akshaya Patra Foundation to ensure that our future generation grows up to be healthy and well-educated.