How education in villages can change India?
by Akshaya Patra NGO in India - Akshaya PatraIn many contexts, we must have heard that
the real India resides in its villages. Statistically speaking, India has more
than 6.3-lakh villages and 74% of the Indian population still live in villages
(Census 2001). This makes it clear that India’s progress is directly related to
the progress of its villages. And, talking about progress, education plays a
crucial role in sustaining the development and progress of a society. And,
that’s why The Akshaya Patra Foundation, an NGO in India is striving to support education
by providing school meals. In line with this, let’s see how education in
villages can change India.
Impact
of education in villages
Agriculture remains the main occupation in
villages, along with several other occupations such as handicraft, animal
rearing, fishing, pottery, and the like. Most of these occupations mirror the
lineage of a particular family. While on one hand, it is a good thing that
residents are able to safeguard their traditional practices generation after
generation, on the other hand it raises the question, what about the education
of their children? Due to lack of amenities and awareness, education has always
been considered as a secondary priority in villages. However, in recent times,
the efforts of government and NGOs are gradually bringing in a shift in
perception.
Now, majority of villagers are striving to
educate their children. They have understood that education can improve their
lives in many ways:
• An
educated person has a better understanding of new technologies;
• An
educated person can introduce new technologies to improve productivity in their
respective occupations;
• An
educated person can improve the overall lifestyle of the family and also
contribute to hygiene and cleanliness of their surrounding;
• An
educated person has the power to gather support for the betterment of the
village; and
• If
shifting to an urban area, an educated person has an upper hand in getting a
better job opportunity;
Akshaya
Patra’s contribution to education in villages
Akshaya Patra is a mid-day meal NGO
providing nutritious school meals to children in urban, semi-urban, and rural
areas. It has a beneficiary base of more than 17.6-lakh children across 38
location in 12 states of India. The Foundation is aware that due to being economically
deprived, many families introduce their children to the world of labour at an
early age. This is one of the reasons along with unavailability of facilities,
that keep children away from school. Thus, by providing food, Akshaya Patra
incentivises parents to send their children to school. The advantages of
Mid-Day Meal Scheme are, it:
• avoids
classroom hunger;
• increases
school enrolment;
• increases
school attendance;
• improves
socialisation among castes;
• addresses
malnutrition; and
• empower
women through employment.
To reach out to children in remote and
rural areas, Akshaya Patra operates decentralised kitchens and these are run by
women self-help groups of the village. These groups are assisted and supervised
by Akshaya Patra’s operations team. This has not only increased enrolment and
regularity of children but also given the women folk a regular source of
income. Currently, Akshaya Patra is providing meals in two of the most remote
areas: Baran in Rajasthan and Nayagarh in Odisha, nourishing a total of 32, 938
children in these two locations.
Support
education in Indian villages
By supporting the cause of Akshaya Patra,
you can change the lives of thousands of children residing in villages. This
NGO in India will utilise every penny of your contribution towards providing
wholesome meals to existing beneficiaries. The Foundation will also use your
contribution to expand its operations to more remote areas so that each child
in India is healthy and educated. Choose to donate for education in
India. Be the source of creating a better India!
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Created on Sep 12th 2018 01:22. Viewed 536 times.