Almost every student is anxious before exams, irrespective of their age. The very name of ‘Exam’ paints a movie-like-scene from our childhood. Late night revisions, alarm waking us up from deep sleep, parents pushing us from the bed to wake us up, early morning hunger pangs, hot tea to stay awake – all these scenes stream in our minds giving rise to goose bumps as a result of nostalgia.
Back to childhood days
Many such scenes remind us of our childhood days. There were numerous chapters to study and revise. And just when we thought we can switch to another subject or chapter, there would be a huge sound from our stomachs. That would be our time of realisation that we need to fuel our tummies with food for education and recollection of answers. This food would help us stay up longer and stay awake at the same time. Remember how our parents would feed us sweet curds before we left to give our exams? Thank God that our parents would know about our hunger and would serve us hot food too!
We were fortunate that we got the right nutrients at the right time. These helped us in our health and education, but there are many children who do not get the right nutrients in the food that they consume. Further, there are children who come from economically challenging backgrounds, where their parents cannot provide even one healthy square meal a day.
The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a non-profit organization that has worked relentlessly for the past 19 years towards providing mid-day meals to school children who belong to socio-economically challenging backgrounds. It works towards the mission that ‘No child shall be deprived of education because of hunger’. On an everyday basis, it serves wholesome and nutritious food to 18,02,517 children studying in 16,856 schools spread across 12 States and 2 Union Territories of India.
How does Akshaya Patra help during the exam hour?
The Akshaya Patra Foundation serves mid-day meals to school children that are wholesome and high in nutritional content. Each of the 51 locations serves local cuisine that is enjoyed by the children. This means say that food and cuisine served in Karnataka is different from Rajasthan and Delhi or the food served in Gujarat is different from the menu served in Andhra Pradesh or Odisha. No matter, which state food is served in, the ingredients used in preparing meals will help in overall development of children because it is all nutrient-rich.
Which ingredients are used in the mid-day meals that enhance exam performance?
WHOLE WHEAT
Whole wheat used in the rotis act as an energy booster and helps in studying for longer hours.
LEGUMES
Legumes such as beans and lentils like dal are packed with enormous amounts of proteins, vitamins and minerals.
GREEN LEAVES
Green Leaves are the best source of iron, calcium and protein. Spinach, is the best source of folic acid which helps prevent memory loss.
VEGETABLES
Cruciferous vegetables like Cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli help in increasing the retention power. Red onions help in important bran functions like memory and focus.
FRESH FRUITS
Fruits are a natural source of fibre and sugar. Applies help in improving academic performance and studying performance, bananas keep children from feeling hungry quickly and help in avoiding distractions. Whereas, oranges provide immunity against common cold due to its high Vitamin C content.
All the meals that are served to school children across India are packed with the right amount of nutrition required for the growth of children.
How can you support Akshaya Patra in its efforts to feed healthy food to school children?
Akshaya Patra aims to feed more children every year. It will definitely be fruitful if there are more people helping towards providing mid-day meals to school children. You can donate online for providing children with school meals. Donate ₹3300 to feed 3 children for one whole school year so that they perform well in their exams. As an added advantage, you also get tax benefits as The Akshaya Patra Foundation is registered under Section 12A (a) of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
When you feed wholesome meals to children, they will be able to concentrate better in their class and perform better in their exams. This will ultimately help them achieve their dreams! Don’t you want to be the reason to transform their lives?
Your kindness & generosity can improve lives!
Sponsor meals & Gain tax benefits.
Author Profile:
The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an Indian charitable trust implementing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme. Currently, the NGO provides school lunch to over 1.8 million+ children studying in more than 16,000 schools across 12 States and 2 Union Territories of India. By donating to Akshaya Patra you can ensure the daily school lunch of millions of children and prepare them for the exam hour.