On their own they can’t.

As part of our yearlong #Project750 campaign, we have launched #IfHashtagsCouldFeed, a six month online initiative to inspire people to actively contribute towards ending classroom hunger in India. Conceptualised to raise awareness of the fact that while hashtags can do numerous things like highlight issues, start discussions and communicate emotions, unless they are accompanied by action they do not have the power to produce tangible results. In a nutshell, hashtags can help raise awareness, but alone they cannot change the world. People can.

Through this first of its kind fund raising campaign, launched on Social Media Day, we are trying to help people

• Connect to our cause
• Take concrete action that will have a direct impact on a child’s life
• Spread the message via social media to inspire more people to make a difference

If you want to know more about #IfHashtagsCouldFeed, the video below says it all.

Over the past two weeks, in our posts ‘Partner with us on World Hunger Day‘ and ‘Understanding India’s Hunger Problem‘, we have discussed the severity of hunger and malnutrition in India. Today on World Hunger Day, we’re here to ask you to ‘Do something great’ to help end this situation.

If you’re not sure how to get started, here are some ways you can partner with Akshaya Patra to help end classroom hunger in India.

Donate: Today we feed over 1.4 million children across India every day. But we’re on a mission to reach out to 5 million children by 2020. You can help get us there by making a contribution towards the programme. A small donation of just Rs. 750 is enough to feed one child the daily mid-day meal every day for an entire year! Help change a life.

Volunteer: Help get the word of Akshaya Patra’s work out there by advocating for us! Volunteer at our programmes, promote our organisation via your social media, blog for us, take part in any way that you like. Use your skills to make a difference in the world.

Fundraise: Help us by raising funds for our programme! We have many different kinds of fundraising options, or you can write in to us at infodesk@akshayapatra.org with your own ideas. We also help you out in any way we can, and provide you with the basic branding collateral you’ll need. You can run your campaign individually, or with your friends. It’s easy and super fun!

CSR: Ask your company to partner with Akshaya Patra as part of their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) programme. Some of the ways by which we provide CSR opportunities are through philanthropy in funds and in-kind donations, cause-marketing initiatives and events and sponsorships.

Be a Fellow: Take part in the next round of our year-long, paid Social Innovations Fellows Programme where we give you the opportunity to make a social impact and develop your leadership skills. Get first-hand insight into the social sector and learn how to build and sustain social initiatives!

It’s really easy to partner with us and start making a difference. But if you’re still on the fence, here’s a quick statistic for you:

66 million primary school children go to class hungry every day in the developing world.

Still think the world doesn’t need your help?