Unlimited Food for Education – A COVID-19 response CSR activity supported by OpsMx

At OpsMx, our community-centric initiatives emphasize access to quality education among underserved children, empowering them with good hygiene, nutrition, health, and welfare. Declared as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), COVID-19 has tremendously disrupted our socio-economic wellbeing. Children at Government-aided schools have been badly affected as well. Extended lockdowns meant schools remained shut, and so was their access to the mid-day meal served at schools. OpsMx recently supported the Akshaya Patra Foundation’s CSR initiative, themed as “Unlimited Food for Education” for social outreach and society’s commitment.

Program Overview

The ongoing condition due to COVID-19 is posing severe threats to the progress we have achieved in education and malnutrition. The onus is on us to stop our society from being derailed. With the support of many stakeholders, the Akshaya Patra Foundation has stepped up to tackle the challenge through a unique proposition called Happiness Kits.

In place of the Mid-Day Meal Program, Akshaya Patra provides necessary nutritional, educational, and supplementary hygiene support to the beneficiaries. The Foundation is on a mission to provide healthy, nutritious mid-day meals to children of government-aided schools and regularly encourage them to come to school for education. With the continuous valuable support from the industry partners, they are serving more than 18 million children across 12 States and 2 Union Territories every day. Their reach is steadily moving towards their mission of feeding 5 million children within the next decade.

OpsMx provided a grant towards the HAPPINESS KITS for the underserved Government school children. Due to the sudden hindrance caused by the pandemic, the support and approval from OpsMx have made a huge impact on their lives. These kits were launched instead of the Mid Day Meal program to continue our outreach initiative towards the benefit of the children belonging to the most vulnerable and underserved communities during the school shutdowns.

The project catered to 269 children and these kits helped us support them through these difficult times both in terms of nutritional support and in bridging the learning gap that these children experience during the school shutdowns.

 A CSR initiative by OpsMx

With valuable support from OpsMx’s Indian wing, DEVOPS MX, 269 beneficiaries (students) received the containing:

• Nutritional items:  3 packs of glucose biscuits, 2kg pack of wheat flour, green moong dal, desi chana, sambhar masala powder, turmeric powder, cinnamon stick, jaggery, peanuts. 
• Education items: Classmate notebooks, activity workbooks, pencils, and pens.
• Hygiene items: Toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, and sanitary pads for the girl children.

Impact & Outcomes of the Event

• The program meets with the MDM nutritional value requirements
• Ensures children get adequate nutrition & good immunity from the comfort of their homes
• Activity workbook  – ensures continuity of education
• Promotes hygiene habits and provides cleaning supplies
• Prepares the children to return to schools once schools reopen

Key Learnings from the Event

• The Importance of Nutrition for children
•  Boosting immunity in children is Vital
•  Practicing personal hygiene
•  Activity Book helps in the continuity of education
•  Children are much aware of the importance of the COVID safety protocol

We thank the Akshaya Patra Foundation for associating us with this wonderful  CSR initiative. Looking forward to a positive and prosperous 2021!