Akshaya Patra Foundation feeds 120 million students per day, World’s largest mid day meal program.
“If one child of a family gets educated, and he can stand on his feet, then he can change the entire family,” explains Shri Raghupati, a program director with the Akshaya Patra Foundation.
On a tour to Akshaya Patra kitchen one can see, chapatis being rolled and baked by the thousands, large pots of curry are boiled and stirred and sweets carefully filled with cream.
These kitchens are now scattered all over India, and will serve midday meals to more than 1.4 million children everyday.
Wit its ambition going beyond nutrition, India has the largest government midday meal program in the world feeding 120 million students per day.
Since 2000, the Akshaya Patra Foundation has partnered with the national government and state agencies to expand and improve the midday meal program. At Akshaya Patra Foundation-sponsored schools, student enrollment is up by more than 20 per cent.
Sushma Agarwa, the principal at Kushi’s middle school says that children come from very poor families. When their food needs are not met they can’t get a good education and apart from that they will not be able to fulfill their dreams.
Agarwa said “I am relieved the foundation has taken over the program. I have taught in schools where government subsidized meals, prepared and served at school, have made students sick”