Restoring the year.

 

The story of 2020 has to be written in a language that has never been deciphered before. What we knew of and that what we now know may have a common continuum thread, it may seem familiar but to say it is what it was may be misleading.

Every boundary & every limitation that we had constructed around us has been questioned. Each contraption that the ego had built is in the process of being dismantled. We could not drive the big cars to announce we have arrived, travel to fancy locations to feel good, our offices may not be big and sprawling anymore & our support system cannot be just a presence in a big social gathering. We had to be honest. Delve deep within to see how we can cope. Be in closed doors with people & relationships that could not be left unresolved. Be with our own selves to work on the transformation that had been long impending.

Why did we reach where we did? Where to go from here? And how to find the way when no one has really been here before? It is different yet much seems familiar.

To be able to withstand the year and to continue to face what today brings- We have had to get real. And in many ways go back home. To where it all started.

At Lotus Petal we came at the crossroads of where to go from where we were in March 2020. There were no books written, no search engines devised to solve what we were facing- the need to keep the organization alive & going, to ensure jobs are secure, children in the education system and to be of service at the most critical time. Before the external, the internal had to be nourished. Each fear addressed and allowed to pass until it was surrendered to the ocean of service. Everything that we were- had to be re-looked to remain who are.

Without wasting a single day, each of us went deep within ourselves. Into the values that were common while growing up in middle class homes. The values that built the foundation of Lotus Petal.

Service to the nation and humanity before Self- as a team we came from different homes, faiths and background but our spiritual calling remained aligned. Service.

The stepping stones were- sharing, conserving, listening to one another, reaching out to what needed most attention, trust the intuition, faith in the leadership- reassuring each other that we are together & will get through this- Our faith in the intrinsic goodness of people strengthened and the belief of One World One Community reassured; all this while we stared at the common vision, a common goal that really has no finishing line. Child in the centre. Dignity to all.

Everything that we were doing was reinvented- finding novel ways to ensure that the student is able to attend their classes every day. Even in the slums of India. Under the hot tin roofs of those shanty`s where there was not electric supply & no running water. We ensured that a device was in their hand, a data pack, a noise cancelling head phone was available to them & most importantly food in their kitchen. The emotional wellbeing was looked after, the jobs of their parents restored, monthly allowance instated & healthcare extended.

This was possible because we went home. To those familiar inclusive values that we grew up with. Of simplicity and of care; of building a community and not a wall. Where food always tasted better when shared & where there was always enough. In the values that restored communities there was little competition and more support. Where there was patience, wisdom and a steady pace.

The values that we left behind in the decade before 2020 needed to be restored. For us 2020 healed, transformed & continues to mend.

We relook, innovate and improve so we can grow. And we grow together, with each other within thriving communities of hope & courage based on the web of resilience.

We welcome you to be a part of our restorative journey of building flourishing communities where there is dignity for all.

Zero Hunger Food Bank - An initiative of Lotus Petal Foundation for underprivileged

 

As Lotus Petal delved deeper towards the education of the underprivileged in 2013, a striking learning emerged- Food before Education. An empty stomach, sick body or a hungry-dehydrated child- made for no classroom learning in spite of the child being present for the tutorial. Over the years, we forayed into providing two, freshly cooked balanced meals- supplemented by protein & DHA enriched milk & fruit for breakfast. The pre-primary children were served fortified meals, with higher iron content to make them ready for a rigorous classroom experience. The use of seasonal produce, less spice content & high protein made for better immunity which ensured better attendance & better cognition. All this was supported by training the children to wash hands, an in-house medical OPD for primary care and regular orientation to parents & children about nutrition and hydration.

Over the years, as the reach of the organization expanded through Sahyog (An initiative of Lotus Petal Foundation that provides education & infrastructural support to Government Schools), the tragedy of everyday hunger in the remote locations of Gurgaon became stark. Poverty, unemployment, lack of primary healthcare and low level farm incomes stared at us. What we knew of & had read was visible in the everyday.

The Covid Crisis gave Lotus Petal an unfortunate opportunity to serve similar nutritious meals across various locations to the displaced work force across Gurgaon during the lockdown. The meals were diligently packed in the kitchen of Lotus Petal Foundation by women workers. As the lockdown lifted, the hope that the need for food boxes may shrink did no see the light of day. Hunger & unemployment persists & continues to rage, merging effortlessly with the new normal.

India stands at 102nd position out of 117 countries on Global Hunger Index 2019. Unable to match the steps of Pakistan, Bangladesh & Nepal, we fall below them as the second lowest-ranked among the South Asian countries. 90.4% children between the age of 6 and 23 months in India do not receive adequate, acceptable nutrition that results in stunting, wasting, anaemia resulting to poor cognition and lifelong learning delays.

The Covid Crisis has only magnified the dismal alimentary situation. A substantial part of the underprivileged population around us is still severely malnourished, poorly fed every day and many go to sleep hungry. During the crisis, the Central government of India, under its Atmanirbhar Bharat economic package, sanctioned 8 lakh metric tonnes of free food grains to 8 crore migrant workers who were displaced during the lockdown- 2020. The families were offered 5 kg of grain per person and 1 kg of pulses per family every month- even to those who did not have ration cards and were not covered by the Public Distribution System. The execution of the same has not been easy and the present data reveals only 13% of the 8lakh metric tonnes of food grains have reached migrant workers so far, benefitting approximately 2.13 crore workers. 5.87crore are still in dire need.

The epidemic of Hunger continues. 

To satiate hunger and it`s various unseen dimensions, aligned with the SDG #2 Lotus Petal Foundation has launched the Zero Hunger Food Bank. The learning of deep engagement with the beneficiary forms an integral part of building the Food Bank. Food, nutrition and hunger cannot be seen without- the availability of potable water, employment opportunities, women’s empowerment, increasing farm level incomes & providing sustainable local level incomes. The various facets of Hunger will be the building blocks of the Zero Hunger Food Bank.

As ambitious as it may seem- the intent continues to be the same, a life of dignity to the underprivileged- Hope to a family that will ensure education to their children.

As a team we resolve to provide an individual the comfort of being able to earn a living that would enable them to organise a safe shelter for their family, have access to a basic medical facility & the availability of clean drinking water. This would in turn provide them the luxury of being able to cook themselves a meal which over rides the provision of boxed food from the kitchen of Lotus Petal. 

Objectives of the Zero Hunger Food Bank-

• Provide immediate relief of food supply & essentials during calamities and humanitarian crises.
•  Identify areas of extreme poverty & deliver cooked boxed food.
• Continuous provision of nutritious meals to children in non-profit schools.
• Run age- appropriate, supplementary nutrition programs in Government schools.
• Fortified Supplementary nutrition to address long term malnutrition issues in children from 0 to 5 years in various government schools, anganwaadis, slum areas, identified low income cluster & non-profit schools.

Extensive use of technology, consultation with a nutritionist & support of local administration will ensure the right kind of food delivered to the areas in dire need.

In the design of solutions and to provide a stable delivery mechanism for the above, imperative supplementary issues will get addressed as well which include:

•  Sustainable local income sources
•  Improving farm level incomes
• Women's empowerment
• WASH
• Primary health care
• Nutrition for women during pregnancy

The attempt to provide better life to many in the underprivileged community continues to find novel ways at Lotus Petal. Be a part of the timeless journey of paving a path of hope through wholesome meals & ensuring a life of dignity to all in need.