THE BACKGROUND:
India has experienced significant economic development over the past two decades, yet many are still struggling to provide food for their families. For too many children in India, hunger is a barrier to education, keeping millions locked in a cycle of poverty. The pandemic has resulted in more students dropping out due to lack of funds.
• Out of 100 students, 29% of girls and boys drop out of school before completing the full cycle of elementary education, and often they are the most marginalised children.
• Around 50% of adolescents do not complete secondary education, while approximately 20 million children do not attend pre-school.
• Half of the primary school-going children – which constitutes nearly 50 million children– are not achieving grade-appropriate learning levels.
THE SOLUTION: THE FOOD FOR EDUCATION INITIATIVE
Would you be able to study and learn if hunger was your classroom companion?
Classroom hunger affects children’s ability to learn and grow. To solve this challenge, Akshaya Patra began the Food for Education initiative.
Akshaya Patra strives to eliminate classroom hunger and aims to counter malnutrition and support the right to education of socio-economically disadvantaged children. By feeding them one wholesome meal a day, students get the nourishment and motivation they need to pursue an education for a better future.
All it costs is INR 1500 to feed a child for a year.
Children need nutrients so they can grow, develop and focus on learning instead of thinking about the food they need. Ultimately, they need to be able to concentrate in the classroom so they can succeed in school and be prepared to enter the workforce as adults.
Pic: Students enjoying their wholesome Mid-Day Meal in school.
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME:
Akshaya Patra is focused on eliminating classroom hunger and attracting more children (enrolment) to schools and ensuring they stay in school (reduce dropout rate) by feeding a filling, nutritious mid-day meal every school day. The Mid-Day meal serves as an incentive for children to get proper education, improve socialisation among children, and empower women through employment opportunities.
Pic: The nutritious meal served in school brings a big smile and positive change in the life of the students.
FUND GENEROUSLY
IF YOU FUND,
INR 3000, you impact 2 students for a year.
INR 7500, you impact 5 students for a year.
INR 15000, you impact 10 students for a year.
ALL FUNDING HAS 80G BENEFITS.
Pic: The nutritious meal served in school brings a big smile and positive change in the life of the students.
ABOUT ME AND THIS CAMPAIGN:
My name is Mihir Shaha. I am 17-years-old and a Grade 12 student at Centre Point School, Amravati Road, Nagpur.
Imagine travelling to school, studying for long hours together, and playing in the sun, all on an empty stomach. Frightening, isn’t it? Just skipping one meal a day would be difficult for most of us. We wouldn’t be able to function too well throughout the rest of the day. Fortunately, we have the luxury of having three meals a day, keeping us healthy and strong, both mentally and physically.
However, many children from low income homes who attend govt schools do not have this luxury. The happiness they experience from just receiving one meal a day is immeasurable. Now imagine if I could bring that happiness to another child! Through this campaign, I have the opportunity to convert the dreams of many children into a happy reality.
Please support my campaign and let us together contribute to the health, education and happiness of these students The “Akshaya Patra's mid-day meal program” not only motivates students to go to school but also ensures that they remain healthy and continue with their education.
Kindly support this campaign and bring a smile to a child with your small act of kindness. Help spread this message on your social media platforms so that more people have the opportunity to share in the care of these children and donate to this noble cause.
THE IMPACT:
WORLD'S LARGEST MID-DAY MEAL PROGRAM:
AKSHAYA PATRA KITCHEN - QUALITY AND HYGIENE:
From preparation to delivery of mid-day meals, the Akshaya Patra kitchens operate on a daily basis, keeping in mind the two most important elements: hygiene and quality.
Centralised Mega Kitchens :
Employing a semi-automated, intensive operating model ensures high-quality food. The programme has incorporated a centralised approach, backed by technology-driven processes such as enhanced roti-making machines, steam-operated rice and dal cauldrons, heavy-duty vegetable cutters, sophisticated rice and vegetable cleaning machines, etc.
Decentralized Kitchens
The programme also incorporates a decentralised mode of operation to cater to the needs of the local community and schools in remote areas.
The unique feature of this model is that quite often, the women cooking the meals are the mothers of the children we reach out to.
EXPENSES BREAKDOWN:
OUR PARTNER:
Since 2000, Akshaya Patra has been concentrating all its efforts towards providing fresh and nutritious meals to children on every single school day. We are continuously leveraging technology to multiply our reach. The state-of-the-art kitchens have become a subject of study and have attracted curious visitors from around the world.
LOCATION MAP:
POWER OF A HOT MEAL:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/AdpGYAY8fJc
TAX BENEFITS:
Funding for this campaign is eligible for tax breaks as Akshaya Patra Foundation, as an NGO, is a registered trust and you can avail of benefits under section 80G of the IT Act.
FEEDBACK/CAMPAIGN UPDATES FOR YOU:
To ensure that there is complete transparency, I shall get a report from the NGO (this takes between 2 to 4 months usually after the funds are raised and transferred to them) telling me who benefited from the funding. The details will then be posted from Akshaya Patra on the UPDATES section of my campaign. As soon as I post an update, the platform will send an EMAIL alert to all the funders - i.e. to you. Click on the link in the email, and you can read about who benefited. That's transparent, right.
The below image is an example of the FEEDBACK FORMAT that we will be sharing with all my funders.
SCHOOLS WHERE WE PLAN TO DISTRIBUTE THE MID-DAY MEAL:
The Mid-day meal will be distributed to 47394 children in 549 schools across Maharashtra. We can provide mid-day meals for more students if we raise more funds. This will help bring more smiles and cheers to students and help us achieve the Foundation’s Vision that ‘’No child in India shall be deprived of Education, because of hunger ".
For this campaign, the beneficiary students will be from schools in Maharashtra (Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Panvel, Pune and Thane)
FAQs
When do I get the receipts?
The receipts will start getting processed about 4 to 6 weeks AFTER the campaign is closed and will be sent to you directly.
How can we fund this campaign with a Cheque?
Fueladream Online Ventures Pvt Ltd account details are as below
BANK NAME: HDFC Bank Limited.
BRANCH: Koramangala( Main Branch). City: Bengaluru - 560095.
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 50200013106778
IFSC CODE: HDFC0000053
Please draw a cheque in favour of "Fueladream Online Ventures Pvt Ltd", and deposit the cheque into the Fueladream Online Ventures Pvt Ltd HDFC Bank account (any branch across INDIA). After you deposit the cheque, please send an email to prasad@fueladream.com AND getintouch@fueladream.com with the following funder information.
1) Name of Funder:
2) Full address with Pin code:
3) Telephone/Mobile no and Email ID:
4) PAN of funder:
5) Cheque number:
6) Amount funded:
7) Whose campaign are you funding. (Name of the person OR campaign number/ID):
After the funds are received and the above details are verified, the fund amount will be transferred to the respective campaign. This can take from 1-3 working days.
How does crowdfunding work?
Crowdfunding in India is a relatively new concept and is growing very quickly.
It’s a concept that allows a large number of funders (like you) to fund an idea or a cause or event by giving small amounts of money online. Fueladream.com is a crowdfunding platform in India that allows for such pooling of funds. You can fund innovations and ideas on FuelADream and be the first to get these products or make them come true. You can also do a good turn by funding charities and causes through crowdfunding.
