BENGALURU: To promote breakfast as the most important meal of the day, a group of volunteers is heading towards government schools in villages and providing them free breakfast meal every day.
Volunteers from Anvaya Foundation conducted a survey in 12 government schools, which showed that about 36 per cent of the students attended school every day without eating breakfast. Another 24 per cent were just given `2 by their parents to have breakfast on their way. All of them depended on mid-day meals in their schools.
Sampath Ramanujam, a software engineer and founder of the NGO, said, “With the survey, we noticed that many students looked malnourished. We decided to bring in food. Initially, we thought we will open a kitchen by ourselves, but now since it’s just the beginning, we have collaborated with a local canteen in Kadugodi and are getting the food made for them.”
The breakfast is nutritional and includes South Indian meals, sprouts and a fruit every day. The team has listed 15 different varieties of special meal. “As adolescents, they need a powerful breakfast to start the day. Initially, we thought of providing boiled eggs for breakfast, but we thought it wouldn’t be enough and decided to give idli , dosa or upma, including sprouts and fruit,” he added.A Class 5 student, Sumith, said, “Veg and kesari baath tasted great. If allowed I would wish to carry this items home for my siblings as well.”
Naming the cause
Anvaya Annapoorna, the volunteers have started the initiative in Dommasandra Government School where
they are providing food to 54 students every day. Every month, they plan on adding one school. Some of the listed schools are Government Lower Primary School, Bevinamarada Colony; Government Urdu Higher Primary School, Kadugodi; Government Higher Primary School, Belaturu; and Seegehalli Government School. After 12 months, they plan to increase the number and open a kitchen by themselves.