Food for hungry children
Focus: Education , Health
Minors from the Anand Nagar slum attending SST’s evening classes often arrive feeling weak and tired – mainly due to the lack of proper food. Low energy is not conducive to learning and leads to poor grades that spur drop-out rates.
Sona Sarovar’s answer is to provide tasty super foods – such as sprouts, fruits and laddoos – to not only boost the children’s health but to also entice them to not miss class and miss out.
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We're closing this Fundraiser early as it has raised the requisite amount!
Healthy food, special laddoos, and snacks are being given to 50 slum children. Check out our impact update for details!
Because despite declining rates, child malnutrition is an acute problem in India, which is home to 40million stunted under-fives – more than any other country in the world. In a 2015 press release, a group of non-profit organisations appealed to the government to say: “Declare malnutrition as a medical emergency to save India’s children dying of hunger.”
The population of this suburban slum is an estimated 22,000 made up of about 4,000 families. The majority of the men are daily wage earners, drivers, electricians, carpenters, etc. who barely afford to give their families two square meals a day. Plus, as many are migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar who prefer their women not to work, it puts a further restriction on the family income. So their kids often go hungry.
THE PLANSprouted beans, such as green mung, are widely available and one of the cheapest super foods. Its high protein content is a good supplement for poor diets with carbohydrates and not much else. So sprouts will be introduced first, then mixed fruits like bananas and dates. If the Fundraiser is successfully completed, the children will also be fed ‘paushtik’ laddoos, which are more expensive but delicious – and with proven health benefits.
With the help of Rs 1,15,744 raised through the fundraiser, Sona Sarovar Trust has been able to give healthy food, special laddoos, and snacks for 50 slum children on a daily basis.
For instance, 12-year-old Arti Sav was severely malnourished when her aunt first brought her to live in Mumbai so that she could look after her five cousins. Arti's parents couldn't afford the basic necessities which had a profound effect on her health. Using the funds raised by this fundraiser, Sona Sarovar Trust made sure her diet included generous amounts of healthy food such as banana, dates, sprouts, and mixed fruits. Within few months there was a noticeable change: Arti put on weight, looked cheerful and scored better in class.