Program Update
The noble cause of The Akshaya Patra Foundation began with serving school lunches to about 1,500 children in 2000 to 5 government schools in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The organisation, known for its dedicated service, now aspires to reach out to 5 million children daily by 2020.
Starting the cause with just 1 van delivering food from a kitchen in Bengaluru across the schools, the Akshaya Patra Foundation now serves over 1.7 million children across 14,173 schools in 12 states across India.
The programme embraced the vision that -
"No child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger."
Today, through the partnership with the Government of India and various State Governments, as well as philanthropic donors; the organization runs the world's largest mid-day meal programme. Built on a public-private partnership, Akshaya Patra combines good management, innovative technology and smart engineering to deliver a nutritious and hygienic school lunch.
Story from the field
Sohil is a Std IV student in the Government Upper Primary School in Pratapnagar, Jaipur. After Sohil's mother passed away, his father, Umad Khan, married Jafran. He has three sons with his first wife, and three with his second wife. Sohil and his younger brothers, Ronit and Taufiq live with their grandmother, a few blocks away. Both his brothers are in Std III in the same school as Sohil. His stepbrothers are too young to attend school.
"My grandfather taught magic to my father. He in turn taught it to me. I don't really like it, but I don't hate it either". Young Sohil aspires to become a doctor. He likes studying, Mathematics and English are his favourite subjects.
His intention is to earn good money and get his grandmother and his entire family out of the throes of poverty. "We have a small house, which is not in good shape. I want to renovate it and maybe add another floor, so that all of us can live together," he says. Sohil goes out on holidays to perform street magic in different parts of Jaipur and during vacations, he even goes to other locations with the elder boys in the neighbourhood and works as a jamura (assistant). Like other children, even Sohil likes to play with his friends. The idea of banter with friends brings about a smile on his face. Then there are days when, instead of stepping out to play, he has to step out to support the family. On a good day, he earns Rs 50-100, but on most days, it's around Rs 10-20. Sohil has fond memories of the time he spent with his father.
"We just taught them these tricks so that they can earn for themselves if need be, but I would prefer if they work hard and get a proper job instead of depending on Rs 40-50 that they earn from performing on the streets," says Sohil's grandmother. According to her, street magic had no future.
Sohil's family lives in such difficult conditions, so it isn't surprising that he likes the variety of food that is served at school. "My favourite is Dal Chawal, but we also get Roti, Halwa, Kheer, Rabdi and even biscuits and bananas at times." Even his grandmother is thankful that the three of them get one good meal in school.
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