Feed nutritious meals to a poor rural child by Isha Education

Isha Vidhya’s 10 rural schools (9 in the districts of Coimbatore, Erode, Salem, Dharmapuri, Cuddalore, Villupuram, Tuticorin, Nagercoil and Karur in Tamil Nadu and one in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh), Isha Vidhya Schools serve over 9342 rural children, from kindergarten to 12th Standard. Over 62% of the students – most of whom are first-generation learners – are supported by scholarships. The class board results for 12th std have been declared 100% of our students have passed and in 10th std, 99% of our students have passed for the academic year 2021-22 with good scores. This year Class 10 school toppers in all 8 Isha Vidhya schools in Tamilnadu are girls. In the current academic year, 49.1% of scholarship students are girls. This figure has steadily risen over the years because Isha Vidhya’s staff has been persuading parents to educate their daughters.

When we first started the kitchen and serving food in Isha Vidhya schools in 2011, we did so because teachers complained about the foul smell of spoiled food coming from the lunch box of many children. Many of our children come from families where both parents are daily wagers who leave for work early. The only meal they cook is dinner, a portion of which is kept aside for the children as breakfast and lunch. In the absence of any vegetables, fruit or proteins, the nutritional content of their food is inferior.

Through this generous donation, about 341 students have benefited.

Most of our students were offered nutritious noon meals with vegetables, protein (soaked groundnuts) at our schools before Covid. During lockdowns our students lost the opportunity to have nutritious meals at schools and they have been facing malnutrition issues again. Our Primary Motto is to feed the students in needy. Now, we have restarted the kitchen again in our schools, offering noon meals, which are the only nutritious meals most of our students have in a day.

Midday meals have been a phenomenal success at Isha Vidhya schools. Not only have parents appreciated this facility but it has contributed tremendously in building the health of students. Many Isha Vidhya students come from poor families and so suffer from malnutrition and anemia.

Sanjay is from a low-income family. His father is not alive and his mother is working as a housekeeper. As the mother's income is not sufficient to take care of the family's expenses. They approached the school for the noon meal subsidy, and after the home visits formalities from the school, he was provided free noon meals. By getting benefitted from the noon meal, on his whole day he gets a good nutritious meal at noon time only. Sanjay aspires to become a lawyer. He excels at Isha Vidhya comment from his teacher- Sanjay is a very obedient and hard-working student. He loves to study independently and consistently completes his homework assignment.

Isha Vidhya’s 10 rural schools (9 in the districts of Coimbatore, Erode, Salem, Dharmapuri, Cuddalore, Villupuram, Tuticorin, Nagercoil and Karur in Tamil Nadu and one in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh), Isha Vidhya Schools serve over 8800 rural children, from kindergarten to 12th Standard. Over 61% of the students – most of whom are first-generation learners – are supported by scholarships. The rest pay a subsidized fee.The class. Board results for 10th and 12th std have been declared and 100% of our students have passed for the academic year 2020-21 with good scores. International Day of Yoga Celebrations - This year, due to the pandemic situation, International Day of Yoga was celebrated remotely on 21st June 2021. Through live online lessons, our students taught Simha Kriya, which increases lung capacity and helps boost the immune system. Besides, special sessions were conducted for their parents.

As a part of Gandhi Jayanti celebrations, students of Isha Vidhya schools planted saplings in the school premises.

This noon meal program was stopped and we will provide the noon meal to the students once the Government provides permission.

The schools are closed for most of this period from July to December 2021 due to the COVID-19 Lockdown. Schools reopened for Class 9 - 12 on Sep 1 in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures. Thermal screening, hand sanitizing, masks and social distancing are the new normal in the schools. Our students were excited to be reunited with their friends and teachers after long. The focus was on reinforcing awareness of COVID-19 protocol, strictly adhering to it, and instilling confidence in our students. Students of classes 5-7 returned to school on 1 Nov and primary school students resumed on 8 Nov. While following safety guidelines, they were warmly welcomed with sweets and flowers. The teachers began classes with games and fun activities to perk up their return to school. During the online classes, to ensure that the students do not miss the campus bustle and playtime with their friends, fun-filled activities were also started. Students solved puzzles and design projects in their virtual classrooms. The lockdown has blurred the distinction between homework and classwork for the students. We had overcome the hurdle posed by the pandemic by sending lessons via WhatsApp groups. Our teachers prepare short audio/videos and notes and post them in groups. They also prepare worksheets for the lessons. Students submit the completed assignments in the same groups. To help slow learners, who need extra attention to catch up with their classmates, the Academic Team sends worksheets on subjects like Tamil, English and Mathematics. To make home learning more engaging and add value to the online sessions, we have devised various approaches – one of which is our Get Mentored sessions. The Get Mentored sessions, conducted by renowned professionals from different walks of life – from an Indian Air Force pilot to an IPS officer, to a writer, and many more –aim to broaden the perspectives of our higher secondary students and provide them with first-hand knowledge about different professions. We have started in person classes starting 1st February 2022 for the students from class 1 to class 12. Our 10th and 12th std students will appear for board exams on the dates which will be finalized by the Government. Annual exams for students in other grades may be conducted as per Govt notification.

We didnt provide the noon meal as we closed the program on temporary basis due to the lockdown and we will open it soon.

When we first started the kitchen and serving food in Isha Vidhya schools in 2011, we did so because teachers complained about the bad smell of spoiled food coming from the lunch box of many children. Many of our children come from families where both parents are daily wagers, who leave for work early. The only meal they cook is dinner, a portion of which is kept aside for the children as breakfast and lunch as well. In the absence of any vegetables, fruit or proteins, the nutritional content of their food is very poor.

Most of our students were offered nutritious noon meals with vegetables, protein (soaked groundnuts) at our schools before Covid. During lockdowns our students lost the opportunity to have nutritious meals at schools and they have been facing malnutrition issues again. Now, we have restarted the kitchen again in our schools, offering noon meals, which are the only nutritious meals most of our students have in a day. Our parents are not in a position to pay for noon meals as most of them lost jobs or regular income during Covid, causing them to get into heavy debts to manage regular household expenses and unexpected medical expenses. By providing at least one tasty and nutritious meal to these kids, we will be able to address two issues – children’s health and motivating parents to send their child to school.

Isha Vidhya’s 10 rural schools (9 in the districts of Coimbatore, Erode, Salem, Dharmapuri, Cuddalore, Villupuram, Tuticorin, Nagercoil and Karur in Tamil Nadu and one in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh), Isha Vidhya Schools serve over 8800 rural children, from kindergarten to 12th Standard. Over 61% of the students – most of whom are first-generation learners – are supported by scholarships. The rest pay a subsidized fee.The class 12th board results have been declared and 100% of our students have passed for the academic year 2020-21. 253 out of 290 students have scored above 75%. Our Dharampuri school had its first batch of 12th passouts. The median score for our schools is 513.96(out of 600) which is 85.66%.Keerthana, an alumna class topper who studied at Isha Vidhya Coimbatore on a scholarship, secured admission at the Government Medical College in Coimbatore. She attributes her performance to her encouraging and supportive teachers.Sivesh N., an Isha Vidhya Tuticorin alumnus was from the first Class 10 batch of the school. He had scored a magnificent 98% to become the first school topper. In pursuit of his childhood ambition to become a doctor, this year, in his fourth attempt at the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), Sivesh scored well and secured an MBBS seat in ESIC Medical College, Chennai under the IP quota whereby his parents can afford the education.60 Cognizant Outreach volunteers conducted two virtual training courses for 374 Isha Vidhya faculty members across 10 districts in Tamil Nadu, training them on the use of Microsoft Office suite, creating digital content, using social media effectively, and staying safe online.The training included a module on ‘Digital Mastery’ to enable them to use smartphones and computers effectively and the ‘Digital Teaching’ module to empower them with tools and techniques to enhance students' engagement and learning outcomes during virtual teaching sessions. This initiative has positively impacted over 8,000 students.It was a gold haul at the inter-school zonal Silambam zonal competition where 10 Isha Vidhya students won gold medals and certificates. The competition was conducted by the World Silambam Sports Association on 31st January 2021 at Tuticorin. About 200 students from 20 schools participated in this event. Silambam is a weapon-based Indian martial art originating in southern India and is an optional part of the sports curriculum at Isha Vidhya.

The schools are closed for most of this period from Jan to June 2021 due to the COVID-19 Lockdown. Following the guidelines set by the Education Department, our schools reopened for students of Class 10 and 12 on 19th January. Both teachers and students were overjoyed to be back in school after months of virtual classes. The focus was on reinforcing awareness of COVID-19 protocol, strictly adhering to it, and instilling confidence in our students. The schools then closed prematurely on 31st March due to the 2nd wave of the pandemic and subsequent lockdown. Before the online classes began, we reached out to volunteers across the country who donated smart devices so that our students could attend virtual classes. This long period of being away from school, however, came with its challenges. And, to ensure that the children do not get distracted and out of touch with academics, we delivered study books to students’ homes, wherever the parents found it difficult to come to the school to pick them up. Also, the switch to online learning was supported by our teachers and academic team who came up with innovations of their own to launch several online home learning programs. To ensure that the students do not miss the campus bustle and playtime with their friends, fun-filled activities were also started. Students solved puzzles and design projects in their virtual classrooms.The lockdown has blurred the distinction between homework and classwork for the students. We had overcome the hurdle posed by the pandemic by sending lessons via WhatsApp groups. Our teachers prepare short audio/videos and notes and post them in groups. They also prepare worksheets for the lessons. Students submit the completed assignments in the same groups. To help slow learners, who need extra attention to catch up with their classmates, the Academic Team sends worksheets on subjects like Tamil, English and Mathematics. For higher classes, Khan Academy videos are also used. Google Hangout classes are conducted from time to time and mock tests too. Children are engaged for about 2 hours in lower classes and about 2 to 3 hours every day from 9th to 12th. Unfortunately, initially, only about 50% of our students were able to participate in the digital classes as 60% of our students don’t have access to smartphones, Our volunteers took it upon themselves to help at least a few students who didn’t have access to one as they were essential for attending WhatsApp and online sessions.There has been an improvement in attendance since September 2020 and more than 80% of the students are now attending Zoom / WhatsApp classes.To make home learning more engaging and add value to the online sessions, we devised various approaches – our weekly Get Mentored sessions are one such effort.The interactive Get Mentored sessions, conducted by renowned professionals from different walks of life – an Indian Air Force pilot, a writer, an IPS officer, and an IAS officer, along with many others – are aimed at broadening the perspectives of our students and providing them with first-hand knowledge about different professions.Our children are coping quite well despite the lockdown. However, as per Government directives, lessons will be conducted through Whatsapp & Zoom. The government has allowed schools for classes 9 to 12 and all colleges including polytechnics to function from September 1 on a shift basis.The government said it is also considering reopening schools for kindergarten and classes 1 to 8 after September 15 after consultations and depending on the implementation of the safety norms for the senior classes that are now allowed to reopen.

Impact story from the ground:Deepasri and her younger brother study on scholarships at Isha Vidhya Dharmapuri. Her parents are uneducated – her father is a two-wheeler mechanic and her mother is a tailor, but both their incomes put together are insufficient to fund the education of the siblings.This class topper is now in Class 10 and says that her teachers inspire her and have helped build her self-confidence. Deepasri's teachers are pleased with her performance, especially her English teacher who finds her a curious and promising learner, attentive in class, with no qualms about asking questions to clarify concepts and deepen her understanding.Deepasri is grateful for the opportunity she got to develop new skills every day through different activities, maintain good health with Yoga, and also exhibit her talent in sports. She has won prizes in athletics at the school and district levels and wants to pursue sports at college too.She aspires to study B.Sc. in Nursing – inspired by the nurses whom she has seen at work in hospitals.

Isha Vidhya - Feeding poor rural children

Green Consciousness: At Isha Vidhya, we aim to create "green consciousness" and build pride in the younger generation for being actors of environmental conservation. Isha Vidhya Coimbatore's Class 4 students participated in various activities in an attempt to create awareness among their friends about the 3R's (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle). Activities included - artwork, rhymes, videos on composting and landfill, a demo on composting and craftwork using waste material.
Isha Vidhya students and teachers have taken this amazing initiative to grow their own vegetables for their "Mid-Day" meals. The joy of growing your own food is incredible. This kitchen garden focuses on organic farming and grows a variety of vegetables and fruits.

"Sandhai" (Local Market): The concept of "Sandhai" (local market) is a very cultural and popular one in the rural regions of Tamil Nadu. It is a great outlet for small home businesses to sell their products and wares and is a system that was established when trading and barter came to be and is still kept alive even today.
Dharmapuri Isha Vidhya, grade 2 students were taken to the local "Sandhai" as part of their lesson in class about the same. Being a very novel and interesting activity, the students got to practice the things they learned in class about how to buy, bargain, etc. Moreover, it was a treat to their senses, filled with colors, aromas, and flavors which was very exciting for these little ones.

School Grown Garden: Isha Vidhya Coimbatore students with the help of their teachers and Gardner have been using natural farming methods to grow vegetables for their mid-day meals. Our students have harvested various vegetables which was grown organically using organic manure called Jeevamrutham.
Isha Vidhya students learn to grow a variety of vegetables and these fresh vegetables are used for their mid-day meal. There's nothing like homegrown food.

Tamil Martial Arts: Kalam World Research Foundation conducted an event showcasing over 20 different Ancient Arts of War on Jan 1st, 2020. These Arts of War get the record in Kalam World Record and Nobel World Record Books. Over 150 participants took part in the event and showcased 20 different types of Tamil Martial Arts.
Isha Vidhya Dharmapuri's brother-sister duo Suryadeepan and Deepika displayed their talents in Oodhu Kolli (blowgun) event. Suryadeepan is in Class 5 and his sister is in Class 4 whose parents are daily wagers.
The event happened for 20 hours, 20 minutes and 20 seconds signifying the New year of 2020.

Mallakhamb Winner at National Level: Isha Vidhya Villupuram's Yuvarani of class 7 bags 3rd place in the 'National Mallakhamb Competition' held at Chhattisgarh in 2020.
Mallakhamb is a traditional sport, originating from the Indian subcontinent, in which a gymnast performs aerial yoga postures and wrestling grips in concert with a vertical stationary or hanging wooden pole, cane, or rope.

Children engaged in diverse activities

Program Update

Noon meal subsidy to underprivileged rural children: Many of our children come from families where both parents are daily wagers, who need to leave for work early. Usually, they cook just once a day, and this is the dinner, a portion of which is kept aside for the children as breakfast and lunch as well. In the absence of any vegetables, fruit or proteins, the nutritional content of their food is very poor. This severely impedes the physical and mental growth of the children.
By providing at least one tasty and nutritious meal to this student for a year, two issues are addressed– the health of the children and incentivising the parents to send their children to school.
Without the noon meal contribution, the child cannot afford to have a nutritious meal even for one time a day, and we thank the donor for providing noon meal scholarship which enables the kid to continue the studies without any hindrance.

Story from the field

Priyadarshini is from a low-income family. Her father, Chandrasekar is Tailor, and his meager income is not sufficient to take care of his family expenses. He is struggling to manage the educational cost of the child. They approached the school for the noon meal subsidy, and after the house visits cum other formalities from the school, She was provided free noon meal. Now the girl is continuing the education and her parents are quite relieved.
Comments by Class Teacher: I am the class teacher for Priyadarshini, and I know her from her 7th std onwards. Her involvement in studies, scientific experiments & extracurricular activities is quite adorable. She loves to do science experiments in the laboratory and also assist her friends in doing the experiments.
Bright and cheerful, Priyadarshini is a curious child, inundating her teachers with questions, displaying heartening intelligence and the thirst to learn. She shows a lot of interest in the subjects Maths & Physics. She wants to become a doctor, hence taken the Biology group in XI and keep moving towards her goal. She is a good creative thinker and enthusiastic student, thus, naturally she is very interested in the art and craft classes.
Priyadarshini was a throw ball player and part of the school team which won prizes in zonal level sports competition.

Program Update

Many of our children studying in Isha Vidhya Matriculation School come from families where their parents are daily wagers, who need to leave for work early. Usually, they cook just once a day and this is the dinner, a portion of which is kept aside for the children as breakfast and lunch as well. In the absence of any vegetables, fruit or proteins, the nutritional content of their food is very poor. This severely impedes the physical and mental growth of the children. By providing at least one tasty and nutritious meal to this student for a year, two issues are addressed– the health of the children and incentivizing the parents to send their children to school.

Story from the field

Indhuja is pursuing 5th std in the Isha Vidhya School in Coimbatore District. She stays with her parents at a remote village named Karamadai, in Thondamuthur block of Coimbatore. The zeal in Indhuja belies her background of stark economic deprivation. Her father Senthil Kumar, the sole bread-winner for the family, works as daily wage labor in a Gold Covering shop. His daily earning can barely support the family’s needs. He is struggling to manage the educational costs, and thus Noon Meal Subsidy came as a great relief to the family. By providing at least one tasty and nutritious meal to this student for a year, two issues are addressed– the health of the children and incentivizing the parents to send their children to school. Without the noon meal contribution, the child cannot afford to have a nutritious meal even for one time a day. Nothing dampen’s Indhuja’s enthusiasm for sports, nor grounds her lofty dreams. She loves several games, but was deprived of the opportunity to pursue any until she joined Isha Vidhya. Indhuja is a good athlete and loves to play Hockey. Bright and cheerful, Indhuja is a curious child, inundating her teachers with questions, displaying heartening intelligence and the thirst to learn.