The Akshaya Patra Foundation (TAPF) is a children's charity headquartered in Bengaluru, India which strives to eliminate classroom hunger and thereby support the right to an education of socio-economically challenged children through the midday meal programme. This is the world’s largest of its school meals programmes which now serves over 2 million children across over 20,000 schools daily. 

A fresh, hot, and nutritious lunch is served to children attending government schools and government-aided schools across 12 states and two Union territories in India. The programme is run in partnership with the Government of India appropriate State Governments along with the support of individuals, corporates, and other benefactors.

The cost is kept low due to several factors – Government match funding, food production economies of scale via  state-of-the-art kitchens , use of technology like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Blockchain etc to drive efficiencies. With over 20,000 schools supported, a donor can choose to sponsor the midday meals for every child attending a particular school in India rather than making a general donation.

A minimum of 100 children at a school could be sponsored at only £1500 annually. However, there are schools of many different sizes available to sponsor. Often large schools are sponsored by more than one donor. Not all schools are sponsored, and these are supported by general donations received.

Impact of School Sponsorships

Since its inception in 2016, The TAPF School Sponsorship Programme has transformed the lives of tens of thousands of school-children and their families, across India. The idea is simple - by nourishing impoverished children with a hot daily meal served at school, we have seen increased enrolment, attendance and focus at school. With a satisfied tummy and the right nutrients, recipients of the Midday Meal can better enjoy being children and flourish, breaking the cycle of poverty for generations. An outcome that has surpassed all expectations! Read stories of hope  from young children who receive our mid-day meals and consider sponsoring school-children in an area in India close to your heart.