HOW WE WORK
HOW WE WORK
AKSHAYA PATRA UK
works to fight hunger and malnutrition amongst children and vulnerable communities by providing nutritious free meals. GMSP is supporting Akshaya Patra UK by setting up an entire kitchen in London where it can operate from and provide meals to schools.
5,000
meals served
during school holiday hunger
2,000
meals served to vulnerable communities
CHALLENGE
Child hunger is a huge problem in the UK. Around 500,000 children in England go to school on an empty stomach every day and 870,000 go to bed hungry every night. Parents worry they will run out of food before more can be bought and they end up eating less or skipping meals so that their children don’t.
Increases in food prices and housing costs mean more households are exposed to hunger. Food that is cheap and more filling is less nutritious, which can lead to long-term health problems for children. Today in the UK, 1 in 10 parents are unable to feed their children without the help of food banks and charities.
School holidays are a particularly difficult time for parents. Over three million children who receive free school meals during term time risk going hungry during the holidays.
ACTION
Akshaya Patra UK, which has been working to tackle classroom hunger and educational access in India for the last 18 years, is now scaling its reach into the UK. Through partnerships with individuals, corporations and the government, Akshaya Patra UK provides nutritious meals for rough sleepers and school children who are vulnerable to food insecurity during school holidays.
Food is prepared in a centralised kitchen in London and serves 2,000 individuals. Using frugal innovation, each meal costs just 25p. Recipes prepared are healthy, varied, carefully balanced, tasty and designed for slow release energy so that those receiving them can remain focused and full for longer.
Over the school holidays, Akshaya Patra UK teams up with holiday clubs to provide catering for children who would otherwise go hungry over the break.