The Art Of Giving Back

Ever since its inception in 2000, The Akshaya Patra Foundation has been shaping lives, one meal at a time. Theirs is the world’s largest NGO-run midday meal program, serving wholesome lunch to over 1.6 million children in 13,577 schools across 11 states in India. The Foundation—while fighting the dual challenges of hunger and education—has emerged as a brilliant model in operational excellence, technological innovation, and quality management. This interview offers a glimpse into their functioning and their plans for the future.

- 

There seems to be an intangible spirit that drives Akshaya Patra. How would you define it?

We began our journey with the vision, ‘no child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger.’ Over a period, like-minded people came on board and we grew in strength. They are from various walks of life, including—but not restricted to—the Government and corporates. It was their unwavering support which helped us scale from 1,500 to over 1.6 million beneficiaries in a span of 16 years. It was the determination of these compassionate people that helped us reach the cumulative two billion meals’ milestone last year. Together, we have been able to form a strong system to tirelessly feed children, and in doing so, provide them an incentive to come to school.

Akshaya Patra is rooted in a noble vision. How do you ensure that the various stakeholders share the goal?

Our vision being noble, people readily associate with it and come on board. We consider ourselves fortunate that there is no dearth of people who can relate to our cause.

Apart from those with a missionary zeal, Akshaya Patra is also run by professionals. How has roping in of corporate talent helped?

Ours is a unique initiative in the sense that it has both missionaries and people from the corporate world coming together for a common cause. In essence, it harnesses the energy of both worlds.

Ours is an organization with the heart of an NGO and the mind of a corporate. In fact, our organizational structure replicates that of a corporate. There are various departments, such as operations, projects and infrastructure, resource mobilization, and donor care management. Each of these is headed by a person with expertise in the corporate field.