Through the year all our kitchens work tirelessly to make sure that the students receive nutritious meals, in sufficient quantity every day. But during the school summer vacation we turn our attention to getting geared up for the start of the next academic year, and focusing on other projects too. Here’s a taste of what goes on in our kitchens while our students enjoy their summer holidays.

Prashanth Kumar M B, in charge of our Vrindavan kitchen tells us that their kitchen will be occupied with regular maintenance and repair work, overhauling all critical machinery and undertaking new projects to increase cooking capacity. Aside from this the kitchen will continue to feed about 22,000 Anganwadi children under the ICDS programme in and around Agra city.

Sunil Kumar Mehta in charge of our latest kitchen in Lucknow says this kitchen will be gearing up for the coming academic year with maintenance work on the flooring and water proofing of the kitchen.

According to Chetan D, in charge of our Bangalore and Bellary kitchens, the two Bangalore kitchens will be operational during the summer vacations providing food to the drought prone areas of Bangalore, as per the request of the Government of Karnataka.

Tasks like these and many more are being meticulously planned and executed in all our 24 locations across India during these two months. While the children enjoy their reprieve from daily lessons, our kitchen staff quietly and happily continues to improve and provide the healthy mid-day meal programme for those in need.

With Women’s Day approaching we have taken a moment to reflect on how we, at Akshaya Patra, work to support the young girls and women of India. Equal opportunity in employment or sustenance, regardless of gender, has always been a core value of Akshaya Patra’s mid-day meal programme. The Foundation has worked to support women in three major ways.

1. Feeding the girl child – In many parts of India, the girl child is still considered a burden on the household. While sons are encouraged to study (if income permits it), often the girls have to stay at home to help with household chores or look after their younger siblings. But with Akshaya Patra’s mid-day meal programme parents gladly send their daughters to school too since it gives them one less mouth to feed for the day. Through this programme all children – both boys and girls – get the benefit of regular healthy food, and education too.
2. Permanent employment – Akshaya Patra offers equal opportunities to both men and women in the kitchens. The Foundation employs nearly 800 women in the centralised kitchens across India, and over 1400 women in the decentralised kitchens run in Baran and Nayagarh. These decentralised kitchens are run by women Self-Help Groups in the region. The employment of women not only provides the women and their families with economic independence, it also boosts their self-esteem and local standing. They serve as role models to other young girls encouraging them to study hard and earn a good living.
3. Support at Anganwadis – Akshaya Patra serves food to infants, pregnant women and lactating mothers at local Anganwadis. This is to ensure that at this time of their lives where adequate nutrition is vital, Akshaya Patra provides them with all the support they require.

This is our way of ensuring we celebrate women, not only on one day, but all year round. Help us give more education and employment to the young girls and ladies of India. Make a donation here.