NGO in Odisha & Its Kitchen
by Akshaya Patra NGO in India - Akshaya PatraOdisha is an eastern state in India known for its rich
culture and heritage. It is enriched with natural beauty and fascinating tribal
culture. Amidst the wonderful things in Odisha exists The Akshaya Patra
Foundation, a place that cooks and provides meals of hope! Yes, and they do
this every day.
What is a ‘meal of hope’?
A meal that upholds the dreams and hopes of children; a meal
that instils the conviction that it is possible to achieve every dream – is a
meal of hope. Each child has an aspiration and it has been observed that in
many circumstances a simple school meal allows children to attend school and
makes them confident of achieving their goals in life. In light of this,
governments and many NGOs have taken up the cause of providing school lunch to
children under the provision of Central Mid-Meal Scheme, and Akshaya Patra is
one among them.
How is Akshaya Patra providing meals of hope?
Akshaya Patra is an Indian mid-day meal NGO providing school
meal to children in 12 states of the country. It began its journey as an NGO in Odisha in the year 2006 by
establishing its centralised kitchen in Puri. Each school working day, Akshaya
Patra prepares over a million meals –healthy, nutritious, and tasty – and
serves it to government school children. The Foundation operates its kitchens
from four locations - Puri, Rourkela, Bhubaneswar, and Nayagarh.
The NGO operates centralised kitchens in Puri, Rourkela, and
Bhubaneswar. These kitchens mirror a typical Akshaya Patra centralised kitchen
with mechanised equipment and standard operating processes. Each of the
kitchens has dedicated customised delivery vehicles to transport cooked meals
to all beneficiary schools. The kitchens have taken up several Kaizen and
Continuous Improvement Projects and have also adopted Six Sigma methodologies
to enhance productivity and efficiency. Since Nayagarh is a remote area,
Akshaya Patra operates decentralised kitchens to feed children of this
location. These kitchens are run by the Women Self-Help Groups and are
monitored by Akshaya Patra representatives to ensure hygiene and safety of
meals.
By implementing the mid-day meal programme in
Odisha, Akshaya Patra provides school lunch to 180,140 children in 1,840
schools every day.
What gets served in meals of hope?
Akshaya Patra wants to maximise the benefits of the mid-day
meals. Hence, it has designed its meal menu based on the local palate. Some of
the menu items are: rice, rice barabati (an Odia dry vegetable dish), dalma (an
authentic Odia dish made of lentil), aloo matar paneer curry (a curry made of
potatoes, peas, and cottage cheese), mix vegetable curry, rajma mix sabji (a
dish made of kidney beans and vegetables), white lobia curry (black-eyed peas
curry), aloo soya chunk matar curry (a curry made of potatoes, soya chunk, and
peas), kheer (rice-based sweet dish), and pickle. With every meal, the
Foundation serves a dollop of ‘hope’ that strengthens the determination of
children every day.
The power of a meal
This story will reveal the power of a school lunch and the
reason we must all support it in our small or big way.
Ranthi Ekka is an 11-year-old girl studying in Standard III
in Manko Upper Primary School in Sundargarh District. Her troubling past has
made her skeptical about many things. Ranthi lost her father when she was a
toddler and perhaps worried and unsure of how to raise a child single-handedly
Ranthi’s mother left her at the mercy the maternal grandparents. Responding to
this, Ranthi’s grandparents say, “It is sad that Ranthi’s mother decided to
leave without telling us, but now that Ranthi is with us, she is our
responsibility.” Ranthi’s grandfather works as a daily wage earner in fields.
He says that though their condition is not very favourable, yet he wants Ranthi
to go to school because he understands the importance of education.
Ranthi’s grandparents had heard about meals being
distributed in the school every afternoon but were under the impression that
they will have to pay for it. One day, when Ranthi’s grandfather was walking
past the school, he saw an Akshaya Patra meal delivery vehicle and gathered the
courage to ask the vehicle driver where was this food coming from and how much
he would have to pay for it. The driver immediately said that the meal is
coming from Akshaya Patra and it costs nothing and introduced Ranthi’s
grandfather to the school authorities. The school authorities told him that if
he gets Ranthi admitted to the school, she too will get the same food,
completely free of cost. Relieved and elated at the idea of his granddaughter
getting a plateful of food every day, Ranthi’s grandfather immediately got her
admitted to the school.
Thus, began Ranthi’s journey of receiving nutritious meals
and rightful education. And, she surprised us all by exhibiting her talent in
the sports field!
Join Akshaya Patra’s effort
Corporates and philanthropic donors such as Rourkela Steel
Plant, The Kusuma Trust (UK), RC Infinity Foundation (Kolkata), LIC Golden
Jubilee Foundation, NALCO, and the Odisha Mining Corporation have come forward
to boost the service of Akshaya Patra in the state.
But, it is equally important for the civil society to join
in the efforts of this NGO in Odisha. There are many ways you can help Akshaya
Patra to increase its beneficiary base. You can donate to charity by
opting to donate for meals, adopting a school, or donating meal delivery
vehicles. Your participation can change lives of children in an everlasting
way.
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Created on May 29th 2018 04:16. Viewed 390 times.