Every year on 26 January India ardently gears up to celebrate its Republic Day with invigorated zeal and honour to mark the evolution of a ‘Republic India’ from British hegemony. The flavour of the day is showcased by royal parades, spectacular aerobatics by Indian fighter jets showcasing cultural wealth, martial supremacy and sky soaring patriotic fervour. It is a day of celebration for every Indian as Indian citizens unitedly celebrate this day by putting cultural and communal differences in their backseat.

But in the midst of festivity and gala we often become oblivious of the fact that though we have attained sovereignty there are certain teething challenges in India that have been a concern for the nation since its inception. One such challenge is food insecurity leading to poverty and malnutrition. The day food insecurity will cease to prevail in India; citizens will witness a new dawn of a truly republic and welfare India.

Hence recognising the importance of eradicating hunger and malnutrition, we at the Akshaya Patra family since 2000 have made continual strides to feed as many children we can through our Mid-Day Meal Programme. We humbly started with feeding 1500 children and today we are feeding 1.58 million children every day across India.

Akshaya Patra truly believes that on this Republic Day we all should become catalysts of change to build resilience against hunger so that our children do not face food insecurity. We strongly urge every individual to associate with our humanitarian cause and donate towards feeding more vulnerable and undernourished children so that with your support and contribution we can march towards our mission “to feed 5 million children by 2020”

International Disability Day 2015 revolves around the theme, “Inclusion matters: access and empowerment for people of all abilities.” This day seeks to understand the issues related to ‘disability’ and how we humans can muster support for the well-being, rights and most essentially dignity of differently abled people. This year we focus on building an all-inclusive environment and an ever accessible society for differently abled people to fully participate in society just like others.

Often societal attitudes born out of bygone stigma and discrimination brutally impact the lives of people with disabilities forcing their self-confidence to either crumble or perish. We cannot let this happen! Being responsible individuals, it is our duty to understand and encourage people with disabilities. It is upon us to realize that ‘disability’ is also a part of the ‘human condition’ and should not be subjected to any degree of discrimination.

We should collectively endeavour towards building sustainable environs for people with disabilities so that they can empower themselves, realize their full potential and participate equally in all walks of life. In order to achieve this, there is a need for investment. Investment is the only baton to create equal opportunities for people with disabilities in sectors like education, employment, health and nutrition and social protection.

So what are we waiting for when we can donate to add value to their lives? Disability donations are the best way to show that you care for people with disabilities; to show that you too dream of a better world for them! In kind donation too is a great way of reaching help to those for whom mobility and self-sufficiency is a hurdle.

On this International Disability Day, join hands with Akshaya Patra to bring happiness to millions of such children in India who are being denied access to society owing to their disability. Akshaya Patra continually endeavours to help such children who do not have the required means to access education but aspire to study and grow.

Akshaya Patra’s nutritious mid-day meals helps open new avenues for differently abled kids as it attracts them to school and presents them with an opportunity to receive education just like another child. So let’s all support a great cause and donate to charity. Become an agent of change with Akshaya Patra, this International Disability Day.