India's School Feeding Programs Flourish: 57 per cent Affirm Effectiveness in Meeting Children's Nutritional Needs

Spearheaded by The Akshaya Patra Foundation, The Breakfast Revolution, and Share Our Strength, with the goal of enhancing awareness and promoting community engagement in child nutrition initiatives

Key findings:

• 64% agree that community involvement is crucial to ensuring nutrition for children
• However, only a mere 21% have participated in or supported any initiatives related to child nutrition in their community
• 74% have never come across any information related to community initiatives to address child undernutrition

MUMBAI, India, March 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Breakfast Revolution, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, and Share Our Strength, that work towards driving positive change in the child nutrition sector, announced the results of a survey conducted to gain insights into community perceptions about child nutrition in India and the extent of community awareness and engagement in addressing issues on child nourishment.

As per the survey, a majority - 76% are aware of government schemes providing free meals to children in schools and more than half the respondents (57%) find the school feeding programs effective in addressing children's nutritional needs. It is indeed heartening to find that 60% of the respondents personally know of a child who has benefited from programs that provide meals to school going children. When asked to describe what is good nutrition for children, 57% described it as, 'Getting enough protein, healthy carbs, vitamins, and minerals from the meals for healthy growth'.

"The survey confirms our belief that addressing the challenge of child nutrition requires the collective efforts of not only government agencies and non-profit organizations, but also the wider community, including parents, schools, health professionals, among others. Community involvement is crucial to enhance the nutritional health and well-being of children. While the survey indicates a big gap in community participation, it underscores the urgent necessity to raise awareness about such initiatives within our communities, run by both public and private organizations, fostering increased engagement in both volunteering and fundraising efforts," said Dr Pankaj Jethwani, Co-Founder, The Breakfast Revolution.

To build that awareness and create more avenues for participation, Share Our Strength is organising an exclusive dinner event in aid of The Akshaya Patra Foundation and The Breakfast Revolution. They have partnered with The Bombay Club and EazyDiner, to host the event with the aim to raise INR 1 crore to provide daily breakfasts and mid-day meals for over 10,000 underprivileged school children in the upcoming academic year. Share Our Strength has also committed to match all donations from the event, thereby doubling the impact.

The Bombay Club, Mahalaxmi Race Course have stepped up as community champions and opened their doors to allow more people to attend the exquisite culinary experience being curated by the globally renowned chefs on March 17th. "We need to make more people realise that Charities like Akshaya Patra and The Breakfast Revolution are working with the government to nourish children in schools and the various ways they can help in this noble cause. The Bombay Club is proud to be a partner for this unique dinner event. We strongly feel that no child should go to school hungry," said the partners at The Bombay Club. 

Sachin Pabreja, Co-founder and CEO of EazyDiner has also come forward to help raise awareness. "Our platform EazyDiner will lend its full support to this wonderful initiative from Share Our Strength. People will be able to easily register for the dinner event and also gain from lots of benefits available with our service. It is time we create more opportunities for people to contribute through volunteering, fundraising, and sharing knowledge"

The event has received a great response so far, along with substantial support from well-wishers and changemakers. It stands as a testimony to the commitment and unwavering positivity towards our future generation— children, who are the cornerstone of our society and future economy.

The Survey garnered more than 2500 responses from across India of which 75% are in the 25-34 years age bracket. 

About The Breakfast Revolution:

The Breakfast Revolution (TBR) is the main program under the Decimal Foundation, a registered non-profit Charity Trust (80G) in Mumbai. The basic mission of TBR, founded in 2014, is to combat malnutrition among children in India. It has been on an aggressive path to reach poor children in anganwadis, low-income schools, and low-income communities with high-quality, tasty, nutritious, cost-effective, and safe breakfasts. The meal fulfills the gaps of the midday meal program by providing most of the child's daily requirement of vitamins, minerals, and protein in one meal itself.