Schools are reopening after prolonged closures. Thus, going back to school this year is critical for most children and parents, especially those from low socio-economic backgrounds.
For many Akshaya Patra beneficiaries, school means more than learning and play. They are also the means to get their only nutritious meal in a day.
Here are more reasons why millions of Akshaya Patra beneficiaries want to go back to school this year.
Learning through experiments
Schools provide resources that help children explore their curiosity. They can learn through trial and error without being judged. They are encouraged to participate in art, sports, music, and dance to find an area they can excel in.
Deepak Raju Paswan of TMC School, Thane, Maharashtra is good at academics and co-curricular activities. Moreover, he is every teacher’s favourite student.
Deepak cannot stop talking about Pradeep Narwal when asked about his future goals. Like Pradeep Narwal, he hopes to bring laurels to India by playing Kabaddi for the nation. He wants to join the Indian Kabaddi team and the Pro Kabaddi League. He adds that the nutritious mid day meals from Akshaya Patra help him practice Kabaddi for hours after school.
Learning through interaction
Education is more than just rote learning. Interaction with teachers, peers, and the environment helps children understand concepts in comparison with reality.
Interactions allow children to apply the concepts learnt in daily life to discover and invent new things. They build confidence and entrepreneurial spirit in children that benefit them in building their careers.
Krish Patel, an 8th standard student in Kalol’s Santer Prathamika Shala, became popular amongst his teachers for sharing his idea about natural composting with his school. His father is a daily-wage labourer and his mother is a domestic help. But despite the financial challenges, he emerged as a winner in a Science Fair conducted in his school. Krish was also given full credit for the fruition of the idea.
Support from teachers and peers
Many times, being talented or having a curious mind does not suffice. It is true especially when the young children are going through socio-economic difficulties and the parents are busy working for a living. Then, the much-needed support comes from teachers and friends they meet at school.
Preeti is a student of Jupiter school in Nagpur, Maharashtra. The school’s Principal cannot help but appreciate Preeti's talent for dancing. She says, “Preeti is good at academics as well as co-curricular activities. But her talent for dancing cannot go unnoticed. She could not afford to learn to dance in an academy but we knew she had immense potential. So, we enrolled her in a dance school. We are sure of a bright future that awaits her. On every Annual Day of our school, we encourage her to perform a solo number and she readily agrees.”
Safe and nutritious meals
For some children, the sole reason to come to school is the fulfilling mid day meal (MDM). These meals not only fill their stomachs but also touch their hearts with different flavours every day.
Akshaya Patra is an NGO in India that has entered a Public-Private-Partnership with the Indian Government to serve mid day meals(MDM) in government and government-aided schools. Currently, it provides mid day meals to 1.8 million children across 14 states and 2 union territories.
The Foundation’s vision of providing hygienic and nourishing meals closely aligns with that of the Government. It follows standards declared by the Supreme Court of India and the Ministry of Human Resource Department.
Akshaya Patra’s kitchens follow Six Sigma Methodologies for efficient usage of man power and resources. The raw material procurement follows the FIFO (First In First Out) and FEFO (First Expiry First Out) methods and the ingredients are thoroughly sanitized before the cutting process. Additionally, the cooking utensils are made of food-safe stainless steel of 304 Grade that are also sanitized before every use.
Akshaya Patra understands the role of nutrition in the complete development of children. This is why this NGO in India is constantly looking for more efficient ways to feed the children and cover more regions across the country.
Final Thoughts
Schools enable children to become wise adults and decision-makers of the future. They provide opportunities for young talent to solve problems proactively and uplift the underserved communities in the years to come.
Your generous donation to feed the children will incentivize them to come back to school. The wholesome meals you support will improve their focus on studies and increase their participation in extra-curricular activities that will enable them to transcend their limitations.
So, donate online to Akshaya Patra and contribute nourishing meals to support children’s meals and education. For these children, every school day is worth a day's nutrition and the hope of a brighter future.
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