School is an emotion.
For some people, it is a set of mixed feelings that include the happiness of having a P.T period and the frustration of having two clubbed hours of mathematics.
And for others coming from an underprivileged background, school is synonymous with free mid day meals (MDM).
As a parent, no matter which background, one constant thing keeps running across their mind – Is my child eating enough to nourish his/her development?
Cognitive Development
School is a phase of rapid progress – both mental and physical. As they grow in appearance, their cognitive capabilities also see a boost. They can think critically, understand what is right and wrong, recollect better and reason with logic.
To help us understand how children’s cognitive functioning work in stressful situations, we have Hamsa’s story.
Hamsa is a 13-year-old student from Prathamika Unnatha Patashala’s 8th standard in Bandalagooda Mandalam village in Telangana. She wants to become a Police Officer and eliminate any sort of crime from her village.
One afternoon, she saw a robber outside, trying to enter her house. She reacted swiftly and ran to the police station to report to a Police Officer. Had it not been for the mid day meals at her school, she would have still not been able to get up or run so quickly.
This is what happens when you donate to feed the children from underprivileged backgrounds.
Children benefit from school meals, like how Hamsa did. Read her story here.
Eating healthy during childhood could prevent various health conditions during adulthood. A wholesome meal is the one that contains:
The right amount of calories
Adequate amount of carbohydrates
A variety of proteins, minerals, and other macro and micro-nutrients
Sufficient quantity of oil and fat
Physical development
Schools play a unique role in the physical development of children. They help them in physical activities that help them work towards their dreams of becoming either a sportsman or a responsible civilian. They spend more than half of their day developing different skills.
Government schools provide meals to children coming from low-income sections of society by tying up with an NGO in India that prepares nutritious and wholesome MDM. They put in all their effort to nourish children with all the requirements detailed by the Ministry of Human Resource and Development.
Nutritional requirements in MDM
Nutritional requirements of each child could vary. However, it was very essential to nip malnourishment right from the bud. To decrease malnutrition in India, several interventions were implemented by the Government of India like the POSHAN Abhiyaan, Anganwadi Service Scheme, and the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana.
The Supreme Court of India mandated in 2001 that every student coming from underprivileged backgrounds should be provided with free school meals.
Objectives of mid-day meals as issued by the Government
Improving nutritional status of children studying in classes I-V in Government, Local Body and Government aided schools and Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS) and Alternative and Innovative Education (AIE) centres
Encouraging children from disadvantaged sections to attend school more regularly and help them concentrate in classroom activities
Providing nutritional support to children of primary stage in drought-affected areas during summer vacation
Improving nutritional level and attendance, while addressing Sustainable Development Goals.
The Akshaya Patra Foundation was one NGO in India that joined hands to be implementing partner of the Mid-Day Meal Programme (also known as the PM-POSHAN).
Akshaya Patra has been feeding nutritious meals to children since 2000. It has grown from feeding 1,500 initially to 1.8 million children every day.
To expand the reach of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, the Foundation serves wholesome meals in 14 states and 2 union territories. Along with providing locally palatable meals, Akshaya Patra also aims to address two Sustainable Development Goals - Zero Hunger and Quality Education.
In places that are well connected with schools, centralised kitchens are constructed, while, in areas that are not well-connected or less accessible, decentralised kitchens function. This organisation has a total of 59 centralised and 2 decentralised models of kitchens in 61 locations of India.
When you have intentions of changing lives, you could choose to either donate to NGOs or help individuals directly. But, when you donate to NGO like Akshaya Patra, you directly change the lives of children. How? Your contribution can support their meals while also helping children to come back to school every day to get educated.
Join the mission to feed 5 million children every day, because every child is worth a transformation, like Hamsa.
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