The Akshaya Patra Foundation provides free mid-day meals to 1.4 million children from economically challenged sections in 23 locations across India. Each day, every employee at this organisation is aware of the fact that his or her efforts will be converted into a million smiles the next morning. The cooks at the Akshaya Patra kitchens devote themselves to the job mainly because they work for children. One such dedicated member of the organisation is Saudamini Sahoo from Odisha.

Saudamini is a cook at the Nayagarh decentralised kitchen in Odisha. She learnt about the kitchen when it was launched in March 2007. She was keen on working with us ever since, and finally got the chance about a year and a half ago. She is best known for her adherence to the organisation’s safety practices which earned her the opportunity to share them with her fellow-cooks. In June 2013, she led a training session on quality, safety and hygiene conducted at the kitchen internally.

Her day-to-day work involves maintaining cleanliness in the kitchen, cooking the mid-day meal and serving it to the school children. Not only is she a good cook famous for her sumptuous dishes, but is also known for her affection towards children. That is why her presence brings smiles around. Her kheer (Indian sweet dish) and potato pea curry are a popular delicacy among the kids.

Saudamini’s Rangoli (traditional Indian patterns and designs hand-made on the floor usually at the entrance of a structure) in the kitchen is by far the best and always beautiful. Rangolis are an inherent part of rural culture in Odisha and people like Saudamini take great pride in keeping the tradition alive.

Saudamini hails from the village of Madhupur in the Khandapada block in Nayagarh district. Her husband, Birendra Kumar Sahoo is a tailor while her eldest son works at a water packaging company in Bhubaneshwar. Her younger son is in Standard X and her daughter, the youngest in the family is in Standard IV. Saudamini dreams of being recognised as the best cook in Nayagarh. And we at Akshaya Patra hope to help her make that dream come true soon!

We often ignore or overlook serious issues that affect our society in a grave manner. With some people it could be unintended, because they are in a relatively comfortable position than the underprivileged. With other people, the most common assumption is that making this world a better place would take tedious effort and a lot of their time. However, when it comes to making a child happy and securing his or her future, the above reasons are incorrect. All it takes to feed a child through the year, and retain his presence in school so he gets educated and grows up to leave a mark in the society is Rs 750. It is that simple and only a click away.

However, one must wonder how the amount to feed a child for a whole year is only Rs 750. It is the result of a meticulously planned and executed procedure to spend this amount on a child’s midday meal at school. Here’s how it is done:

The Total Cost Per Meal to feed a child per day is 7.40 paise. We get a government subsidy through grain and grant that amounts to 4.38 paise. The amount borne by Akshaya Patra is 3.01 paise. The total operations time in a year for the kitchen staff is 232 days. When added over 232 days, this leads to a total of Rs 698.32. However, various aspects need to be considered for the organisation while utilising this amount. One of these is inflation. An estimated level of rise in the prices of raw materials is considered while summing up. This is usually 7.5 per cent of the cost assumed by Akshaya Patra which comes up to Rs 52. All of this adds up to Rs 750.

Furthermore, the cost per meal varies in every state based of different parameters and the average cost of these results in Rs 750. Here’s a representation of the same: (Click on image to view it)

Extend your support in making us reach out to more children who leave school because they need to earn a living. Donate now and help a child stay in school.