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
