India’s school feeding programs flourish 57% affirm effectiveness in children’s nutrition

The survey confirms the belief that addressing the challenge of child nutrition requires collective efforts

The Breakfast Revolution, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, and Share Our Strength, which works 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 per cent are aware of government schemes providing free meals to children in schools and more than half the respondents (57 per cent) find the school feeding programs effective in addressing children’s nutritional needs.  It is indeed heartening to find that 60 per cent 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 per cent 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 organisations but also the wider community, including parents, schools, health professionals, among others. Community involvement is crucial to enhancing 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 organisations, 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 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.