27% of the world's malnourished children live in India with malnutrition accounting for 50% of child deaths within the country.

Across India, every day 8.2 million children are forced to work to earn their food. That means 1 in every 11 children is working instead of going to school.

Moreover, gender bias and food insecurity are significant factors that contribute to low school attendance rates and perpetuate the cycle of poverty.

In the year 2001, the Supreme Court of India ordered all the state governments and union territories to implement a Mid-Day Meal Scheme and provide cooked meals to school children from Government and Government-aided schools. With support from the central and state governments, The Akshaya Patra Foundation expanded its operations to officially contribute to the Mid-Day Meal Programme. 

Hunger, especially classroom hunger, impairs a child’s performance even if they do attend school. At this juncture, apart from the role of NGOs and Indian charities in child education, our Mid-Day Meals act as a huge incentive in bringing these children to school. A guaranteed free meal every day enables them to abstain from working and instead encourages them to study and get educated. In this way, the programme also helps in the universalization of primary education.

Children attending Akshaya Patra schools come from low-income families who typically make less than CHF 2 per day and are unable to afford vegetables, grains, and milk – basically, the bare necessities a child needs to grow.

We provide unlimited food. Second and third helpings are always available. Frequently, younger siblings of students come to school at mealtime or students pack leftovers in containers to take home.

Akshaya Patra provides a balanced-nutritious meal, daily, usually consisting of three items, with dessert served once a week. Meals are often supplemented with peanut butter paste, fortified rice and other innovative ways of improving caloric and nutrient value.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation advocates a culture of constant improvement and learning. We measure our program’s success on the number of children fed; weight gain; improved academic & physical performance; increased school enrollment, retention & attendance and increased social equity.

Three independent studies on the Akshaya Patra mid-day meal program by Harvard Business School and Nielsen have shown the following:

Improved Retention and Enrolment > Increased school attendance, especially girl children > Lower Dropout rates > Strengthened social development

CHF 15 will feed a child every day for a year!

Your contribution transforms lives

Millions of people across the globe suffer from food insecurity. With your support, we can expand our reach to impact more people every day.

By assisting beneficiaries with access to healthy and nutritious food we alleviate financial pressure and enable the individual to focus upon and invest in their future, which would in turn allow them to exit the poverty cycle.