Ngos Fighting Against Hunger And Malnutrition

By Author: The Akshaya Patra Foundation
Total Articles: 112
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India is one of the largest countries in the world. It has a population of 1.4 billion and immense diversity in geography, religion, caste, socioeconomic status, etc., making implementing social welfare programmes challenging. This makes a strong case for adopting the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model in the social sector. The government can implement these initiatives with the NGOs pitching in with their expertise in resource mobilisation to add to their efficiency. In fact, the government has even made provisions for the participation of private entities and NGOs in addressing socioeconomic issues and contributing to the larger goal of nation-building.

An apt example is the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Scheme, now rechristened as the PM POSHAN Abhiyaan. As per the Revised Guidelines 2017 for engagement of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs)/Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) in Mid-Day Meal Scheme, NGOs can be engaged to supply cooked meals to children in schools in urban areas or in identified rural areas with good road connectivity to leverage efficiency gains. As a result, several NGOs are now mobilising resources and ...
... maximising the impact of the school meals programme.

That brings us to the NGOs that are working to address hunger and malnutrition, a ready reckoner that will help you if you are seeking to donate to feed children or specific vulnerable populations like the elderly or homeless.

World Food Programme (WFP)

Though not an NGO in the strictest sense, the World Food Programme (WFP) deserves a mention in this list for the work they have been doing to fight hunger and malnutrition by providing food assistance not just in India but worldwide. In India, they have been working since 1963. However, they have now transitioned from food distribution to technical assistance in the country. It seeks to strengthen existing systems to add to their efficiency and help widen the reach of success-evidenced programmes like the school feeding programme. It has partnered with the government and several local NGOs to facilitate the same.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation

The Akshaya Patra Foundation, or Akshaya Patra, is an NGO headquartered in Bengaluru, India, working to address classroom hunger and malnutrition among children by providing them nutritious mid-day meals as a part of the PM POSHAN Abhiyaan. Through its efforts to feed the children, it supports their nutrition and education, upholds their Right to Food and Right to Education, and also contributes to India’s pursuit of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – SDG 2 Zero Hunger and SDG 4 Quality Education. Currently, Akshaya Patra is feeding over 2.2 million children in 72 locations across 16 states and two union territories of India whilst working with the government and donors in a collaboration based on the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.

In addition to mid-day meals in schools, the Foundation also provides nutritious food to pregnant women, nursing mothers and children in the age group of 3-6 years as a part of the ICDS Anganwadi feeding initiative and elderly women in ashrams as a part of the Homeless Mothers Feeding Initiative. It also undertakes food assistance as a part of humanitarian efforts during emergencies such as floods or disease outbreaks to ensure people’s access to food. To date, it has served over 4 billion meals.

The Robin Hood Army

The Robin Hood Army has a simple yet unique approach. They collect surplus food from restaurants and the community and serve it to homeless families, orphanages, patients from public hospitals, old age homes, etc. In doing so, it does not just fight against hunger but also addresses the issue of food wastage. The Robin Hood Army is a volunteer-based organisation that operates in more than 400 cities across 13 countries and has more than 2,50,000 registered volunteers, referred to as Robins. Since its inception, they have served over 141 million meals. In their own words, they seek to “become a global engine which brings out the best of humanity using food as a medium.”

Feeding India

Feeding India is an NGO dedicated to eradicating hunger and malnutrition in India by providing grains and cooked food to underserved communities. Through its ‘Poshan to Pathshala’ campaign, Feeding India strives to feed children from low-income groups in schools to ensure that they get the right nutrition in their formative years. The organisation is also collaborating with on-ground NGOs to ensure children’s food security. Since it was launched by Zomato in 2021, Feeding India has distributed over 4.3 crore meals with the support of its 140 NGO partners in 40 cities of the country.

Akshaya Chaitanya

Akshaya Chaitanya is working towards making nutritious food accessible to over 15,000 people from weaker socioeconomic backgrounds in Mumbai. It has three feeding initiatives: Swasthya Ahara – the government hospital feeding programme; Bal Shiksha Ahara – the Meals on Wheels programme; and Paushtik Ahara – the municipal school breakfast programme. Akshaya Chaitanya believes that access to the right food lays the foundation for exploring the world of opportunities.

NGOs have a crucial role to play addressing socioeconomic issues that affect millions of people in the country. Be it the difficulty in accessing food or food wastage or even the lack of nutrition literacy, these organisations have developed robust systems and set up infrastructure to address them. Their learnings over the years also come handy when it comes to formulating and implementation of policies to end chronic hunger.

All these NGOs are working towards a hunger-free world. While their approach may differ, they are united by a cause: #ZeroHunger. These NGOs—in their fight against hunger and malnutrition—need your support. You can either donate, volunteer or simply spread the word through social media shoutouts. Together, we can empower these organisations and enable them in their pursuit of the hunger-free world we all wish to see.

I'm a social volunteer, lives in Bengaluru. I do work for NGOs to make society better. Currently I'm working for The Akshaya Patra Foundation. It's an NGO in India which provides wholesome nutritious mid-day meals to government school children to end classroom hunger. https://www.akshayapatra.org/