There are many rags to riches stories of great people who have overcome abject poverty and risen above their underprivileged backgrounds. It is not an easy journey, but they’ve had the fortitude and resilience to brave it all. At Akshaya Patra, we come across many similar stories and it gives us great pride to know that we have played a role in them. The meal we give children keeps them in school, lays the foundation for their future and gives them the boost of energy they need to achieve their goals. In our own little way we have been inspiring children who are #HungryForSchool. We give them a reason to keep going.

Here are a few inspiring stories of children who were and are #HungryFor School.

1. Varun R
A bright boy, with a bright future, Varun is gearing up to become an IAS officer someday. He loves Indian history with a passion and has even won the ‘Bharat ko jano’ quiz. He dreams of starting schools in remote villages and getting Akshaya Patra to provide meals for hungry children. That is how profound an impact the programme has had on him. His idea is to make this one meal reach out to many more. School is the just first step in the big plans he has for himself.

2. Parvati
The desire to learn is all you need, to succeed. This child, who was not allowed to go to school, would hungrily devour her brothers’ schoolbooks. Her parents believed that it was better to educate the boys than a girl. After much pleading, they finally relented – and only because she was going to be given a meal at school. Today she is the reason many girls in her locality go to school.

3. Sangeetha
This child’s parents are shepherds, but dream of a great future for her. They can barely afford to sustain themselves but are glad their child goes to school. The meal she gets there is better than what they can give her. She is a bright child who gets very little time to study after school, yet has managed to score well in her exams. She believes she has a lot be thankful for – her open-minded parents, the school and the meal she gets every day.
Stories like these encourage us to keep going, to provide more and help more children. You too can be part of our efforts. Join us in inspiring children who are #HungryForSchool. You can contribute a small amount every year to help a child through school. You can help feed and teach a child and help him/her attain greatness. It is all in your hands.

Click here to contribute: https://www.akshayapatra.org/onlinedonations

It is no secret that millions of children across India are forced to give up their dreams and drop out of school to earn their daily meal. Understanding the link between food and education is what got us started at The Akshaya Patra Foundation. With the support of the government and many generous citizens, we help children break free from the shackles of child labour. We do everything we can to feed the children, and their hunger to provide them with a better future. We are here to help those #HungryForSchool.

What is #HungryForSchool?

It is our latest initiative to raise awareness about the connection between hunger and education. We thought, what better way to start this programme than to launch on ‘World Day Against Child Labour’!

We want more and more people to realise that it doesn’t take a fancy classroom or state-of-the-art technology to keep a child in school − just one yummy, nutritious mid-day meal.

At Akshaya Patra, we have a team of quality experts and a nutritionist to take care of the daily menu. They cover every detail to ensure that each child gets a well-balanced meal. Our well-equipped kitchens are run by a dedicated staff. As they cook up the day’s specials, they don’t forget to include large doses of love. Then, our logistics team steps in to deliver this yummy, freshly cooked lunch to the kids. This is how we provide food to over 1.39 million children from 10,631 schools, across 9 states in India. With your support we aim to expand our operations and reach out to more children who are #HungryForSchool.

Help those #HungryForSchool

You’d be surprised to know that it doesn’t take much to support our cause. It costs only Rs 750 to feed a child for a whole year (that’s less than what you would spend on one week of household groceries)! You can also spread awareness of the cause by talking and tweeting about it using the hashtag #HungryForSchool.

See? It really does take very little to secure the dreams of a little child who is #HungryForSchool.

If you wish to know more, click here.