In a world of abundance, it is disheartening to witness the persistence of hunger and malnutrition. The Zero Hunger Challenge calls for a collective effort to eliminate hunger, ensure food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.

The challenge focuses on five key elements that are essential to achieving zero hunger: sustainable food production, improved access to food, zero loss or waste of food, ensuring adequate nutrition for all and building resilience to food-related crises.

Sustainable food production is a crucial aspect of the Zero Hunger Challenge. It involves promoting agricultural practices that are environmentally friendly, such as organic farming, crop rotation and agroforestry. By adopting sustainable practices, we can increase food production while minimising the negative impact on natural resources, such as land, water and biodiversity.

Improving access to food is another important goal of the Zero Hunger Challenge. This involves ensuring that everyone has physical and economic access to nutritious food at all times. It includes measures such as improving infrastructure for food storage and transportation, supporting small-scale farmers, empowering women in agriculture and promoting inclusive and equitable food systems.

Zero loss or waste of food is a critical element of the Zero Hunger Challenge. Currently, a significant amount of food is lost or wasted throughout the production and supply chain. By reducing food loss and waste, we can ensure that the available food resources are utilised efficiently.

Ensuring adequate nutrition for all is an essential part of the Zero Hunger Challenge. It involves addressing malnutrition in all its forms, including undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and overweight and obesity.

Building resilience to food-related crises is the final component of the Zero Hunger Challenge. This involves strengthening the capacity of communities and countries to withstand and recover from emergencies such as natural disasters, conflicts and economic shocks.

Conclusion

The Zero Hunger Challenge is a call to action to eradicate hunger, ensure food security and promote sustainable agriculture. By addressing the root causes of hunger, implementing innovative solutions and fostering collaboration, we can create a world where no one goes to bed hungry. The Zero Hunger Challenge requires collective efforts from governments, civil society, the private sector and individuals. Together, let us strive towards a future of nourishment, dignity and opportunity for all.

Created by:
Rohit Kumar
Nipun Tyagi
Anitha Shivamallaiah

Celebrating special days is enjoyable and when they are celebrated meaningfully, they add to their significance. Fathers also have a day set to celebrate their fatherhood, just like every other special occasion. This day is celebrated to express unwavering gratefulness to the superhero figure of every child’s life.

A father is a mentor, an inspiration, a motivator and a support system all throughout life. This day serves as a reminder of the crucial part fathers play in guiding and moulding the lives of their children. The day offers a chance to consider the sacrifices fathers make and the positive impact they have on their families.

When is Father’s Day 2023?

One interesting aspect about Father’s Day is that, unlike most other special days, it doesn’t have a set date. But every year, it falls on the third Sunday in June and is observed in a number of nations including the United States, India, the United Kingdom, Canada and others. On the other hand, some nations—including Australia, Norway, Sweden, Finland and so on celebrate this holiday at other times of the year. In 2023, Father’s Day will be celebrated on 18 June.

How Father’s Day Originated

Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, is credited for coming up with the concept for Father’s Day in the United States. She wished to pay tribute to her own Civil War veteran father, William Smart. On a farm in the eastern part of Washington, William had raised his children alone.

In 1909, Sonora proposed the idea of Father’s Day to The Spokane Ministerial Alliance. This day was initially supposed to be observed on June 5, the day of her father’s birthday. However, the clergy did not have enough time to compose their inaugural sermons. Father’s Day was thus celebrated for the first time in 1910 on the third Sunday in June. In 1972, US President Richard Nixon signed a proclamation honouring Father’s Day as an official, nationwide holiday in the United States. This served as an inspiration for Father’s Day festivities in other nations.

Father’s Day Celebration in India

Father’s Day is a time for bonding and forming enduring memories. In India, Father’s Day acts as a reminder of the crucial part fathers play in influencing the lives of their children. A lot of people in India also use this occasion to express gratitude and recognition to the important male influences in their lives.

On this particular day, several NGOs work and honour fathers all over the world. The Akshaya Patra Foundation is one such organisation that provides a school lunch as an incentive for people with limited opportunities to send their children to school and help them pursue their dreams, Akshaya Patra upholds the spirit of Father’s Day.

Akshaya Patra, with the help of the government and our donors, channelises resources through the PM POSHAN Abhiyaan (formerly known as the Mid-Day Meal Programme), to ensure that these fathers worry less about the nutrition of their children. Under this programme, we serve regular mid-day meals to over 2 million children in more than 22,000 government and government-aided schools across 15 states and 2 UTs in India.

When you support The Foundation, you are also helping fulfil a father’s dream of seeing his child eat at least one nutritious meal every day and focus on academics and other activities. Feed children in need by supporting Akshaya Patra’s Mid-Day Meal Programme. Donate online to provide cooked meals with ₹1,500.

To all fathers who work tirelessly to support their families, Happy Father’s Day! We collectively honor and salute you!