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| Akshaya Patra Foundation Annual Gala |
Kathleen Cosgrove
08/04/2008
Proceeds to help sustain program feeding over 960,000 children daily in India
The Akshaya Patra Foundation, an organization with the vision that no child shall be deprived of education because of hunger, will hold its annual gala on Sunday, September 21, 2008 at the Westin Hotel in Waltham. Narayan Murthy, chairman of Infosys, will be the guest of honor and will deliver the keynote address.
Akshaya Patra, the largest NGO run midday meal program in the world, is currently feeding over 960,000 underprivileged children in over 5,700 schools in six states in India. This program is a strategic intervention in education aimed at unlocking the vicious and perpetual cycle of poverty.
Despite India’s recent economic boom, it is home to 57 million malnourished children. 25 million children are not in school. For students enrolled in school, there is a 40 percent dropout rate before reaching the fifth grade. This is mainly due to economic necessities that require children to do menial work to bring home much needed income. Even those who stay in school often do not perform to optimal levels because they are simply starving and unable to concentrate or retain what they have learned.
Malnutrition and lack of education not only affects children, but impacts the global market both in terms of productivity and income. Reduced productivity costs India’s economy $2.5 billion annually. With a labor and consumer force of one billion people, this can have serious implications on the international economy.
Akshaya Patra is a public-private partnership that combines good management, innovative technology and smart engineering to deliver school lunch at a fraction of the cost of similar programs in other parts of the world. It costs $28 to feed a child daily for the entire year. For many of the children this is their only complete meal for the day. This gives them an incentive to come to school, stay in school and provides them with the necessary nutrients they need to develop their cognitive abilities to focus on learning.
Through kitchens specially designed by engineers to leverage technology and sourcing its food stocks from local markets, Akshaya Patra is able to reduce costs associated with transportation and food spoilage while supporting the local economy. In a short time, the foundation has grown to become the largest, and certainly most innovative, school lunch program in the world. Akshaya Patra is a great example of what a non-profit organization can achieve-- a cost effective, scalable solution with high quality service delivery.
Narayan Murthy, a strong supporter of Akshaya Patra, is known for his personal commitment and impassioned efforts to help children achieve and succeed by giving them the opportunities that they deserve. He received the prestigious Padma Vibhushan award in 2008, the Indian government’s second highest civilian award. Founder and chairman of Infosys, TIME magazine identified him as one of the ten global leaders who are helping shape the future of technology. Infosys is the first India-registered company to be listed on NASDAQ.
Akshaya Patra is currently seeking corporate sponsors for the event. Individual tickets cost $175 and can be purchased by calling the Akshaya Patra office. For details on corporate sponsorship, to purchase tickets or for more information please contact Kathleen Cosgrove at kathleen@akshayapatrausa.org or 781-438-3090 x 3. Akshaya Patra can be found on the web at www.foodforeducation.org.
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