Of the several services an NGO brings to the nation's children the most precious I feel is the Midday Meal ,it is the most daunting.Almost more than one million children everyday waiting to eat,what is for many ,their only food for the day;the hot midday meal brought to the schools.
Each and every meal like the students eating it have a story behind it.This one is from Helpiya,a small un electrified village ,in Sarda block of Udaipur,up in the Aravalli.It is a 500 family ,one crop no health care and zero road village."After 26 January ,15 august and 2 October these villagers and the 50 students count 21 January ,the day on wards the village school started getting uninterrupted supply of cooked midday meal, as the most important day in this village .Today no time for a story only fact and figures will reveal the truth .
With at least 450 calories and 12grams of proteins for students up to fifth standard and 700 calories and 20 grams of protiens from sixth to tenth standard is the only source of energy for about 1000000 children in 9535 schools where the 21 kitchens of the NGO works in India .Feeding more than a million children may seem a fair figure at a glance but it pales when compared to the number of children that still crawl without even a single meal everyday.
Everyday ,throwing discipline to the winds ,children come whooping down from their classrooms the moment they spot their food cans cross the stream .The indulgent school teacher lets them from their self styled convoy of excitement to lead the containers of rotis ,pulao and dal up the slopes to the school grounds.
Gratifyingly the school has 80 children now on its rools.The midday meal of sweet dalia ,subzi pulao and other varied menus is ,without doubt ,the biggest attraction that drew them to it.
