Feed The Future Now

Before I begin to write anything, I want you to watch this video: Well, to put it simply, each child and I mean it literally; each child possesses a dream, a dream to achieve something, a dream to change their present to something better, a dream that someday their dream will come true. But, their dreams will turn into reality only when they have access to something as basic as a healthy food and the opportunity to attend school. And, it is no hidden fact that millions of children are denied these basic necessities! So, why have I italicised healthy?  Because it is important to understand that food may be the answer to hunger but healthy food is the only answer to ‘hidden hunger’. Yes, hidden hunger is a form of hunger that arises due to micro-nutrients deficiency in the diet. For instance, if a child eats a plate full of rice and potato, his stomach will get filled and he will no longer feel hungry. But, his diet lacks essential micro-nutrients like vitamins and minerals ...

Personally, I cannot concentrate even for five minutes when I am hungry. And, even if I push myself, I will end up doing a half-baked job that will require me to ultimately rework on the same thing. Least had I realised, until recently, that each day millions of children undergo incessant hunger pangs while trying to concentrate in classrooms. It made me to think ‘can right to education be achieved if we do not take care of the basic necessity called food?’ Many research studies have indicated that food and education are inter-related factors. While it is true that without food children cannot concentrate well in classrooms and school activities, it is also a matter of concern that with food and no education, children will turn out to be dependent citizens of the country. Thus, it is important for food and education to go hand in hand. But, one should also be mindful of the fact that food here is indicative of nutrition-rich diet. Only a balanced nutritious meal will support prop...

Until recently I wasn’t aware of what is termed as ‘hidden hunger’. I was introduced to this phenomenon while reading an article where Vivek Oberoi was quoted saying, “We, as a country has had so many achievements at the global platform but hidden hunger still remains an obstacle to sustaining education and achieving one’s full potential. ‘Feed the Future Now’ aims to combat this issue and I am glad to pledge support to its mission of nourishing the future of India so that kids get a holistic upbringing, just like we all did.” This led me to delve a little to know more about hidden hunger and its related campaign. Hidden hunger Hidden hunger refers to a form of deficiency that is caused by consuming food that may be filling the stomach but lack in essential vitamins, minerals, and other micro-nutrients necessary for healthy growth and development. Often times people from socio-economically challenged backgrounds are dependent on and consume food such as rice, corn, or wheat flo...

The progress of a society can be gauged by the way it takes care of its children. Simply because children will grow up to be the caretakers of the society in the near future. Heeding to this, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, a mid-day meal NGO in India, initiated a campaign called ‘Feed The Future Now’ – a social movement based on the principle that ‘every child deserves a nutritious diet, a fulfilling education, and a bright future’. The Foundation is taking forward this campaign with steadfast support from GlaxoSmithKline, PepsiCo, Nestle, Reliance Fresh, Viacom18, Facebook, Big FM PVR Cinemas and The Lalit Group of Hotels. Each of the partner corporates has pledged their support in unison to build a better future for children. The ‘ Feed The Future Now ’ campaign aims to garner mass support by creating a common platform where any and every one can participate from the public sector, private sector, media and the civil society. The campaign intends to bring about a sustainable cha...