Akshaya Patra is an Indian organization that provides healthy meals to students in schools with the most need all over India. This is a visit to one of the "clean kitchens" in Jaipur.

1. Civics in India
The “Rights” of Children
(an integration of literacy, science and social studies)
By Marcy Prager – marcyprager@mac.com
July, 2011

2. What is Civics?
Civics is a person’s rights and duties
as a citizen.
What rights do you have at home?
What duties do you have at home?
What rights do you have in school?
What duties do you have in school?

3. Childrens’ Rights
Every child in America has basic rights:
 the right to be protected, to be safe from harm
 the right to get an education
 the chance to express yourself and be heard
 the right to good health care
 the right of basic needs of nourishment, clothing and housing
 the right not to be exploited.

4. “My Civil Rights”-
Cartoon
 You have a lot of “prior knowledge” of your own
“civil rights” as a child, living your life on a day-
to-day basis.
 Take a large piece of white construction paper and
fold it into six equal and fair boxes. In each
box, depict one new “civil right” you have
practiced, using you, your family members, your
teachers, or your friends as the main characters.

5. The United Nations Convention
on the Rights of the Child
 Twenty years ago, the United Nations wrote down
the basic rights that all children, boy or girl, healthy
or ill, black or white, rich or poor, with different
kinds of families and different abilities, must have.
 This is an agreement between all the countries.
 India, too has signed this agreement.

6. Many Children in India Still
Do Not Have These Rights
 Many children in India are not experiencing these
rights.
 Many children beg in the city streets for money.
 Many children do not go to school.
 Many children are exploited.
 Many children are malnourished.
 40 million children in India work as child laborers.

7. Not every child in India has the
“right” to a good education.
 Many children in India who do get a chance to go to
school go to government-run schools which are
often dirty.
 Many children are not taught well. They don’t have
books or toys or math manipulatives to use as they
solve problems.
 Most families do not have the money to send their
children to better schools.
 Many children do not know how to read or write.

8. Working Together to Fix
the Problem
 Civics is when people have a
shared problem and get together
to try and solve the problem.
 Many people in India want to
ensure the rights of all children.

9. Good Nutrition is a Child’s Right
Famous author Pearl S. Buck wrote,
“Food for all is a necessity. Food should not be a
merchandise, to be bought and sold as jewels are
bought and sold by those who have the money to
buy. Food is a human necessity, like water and air, it
should be available.”

10. Akshaya Patra
The Akshaya Patra foundation was established by
the Hari Krishna movement to “ensure that no child
is deprived of education because of hunger.”
 A group of caring individuals got together to start
a foundation that would help
poor, underprivileged families, ensuring that their
children would be fed healthy, nutritious meals in
government schools.

11. Akshaya Patra
The Akshaya Patra foundation was established by
the Hari Krishna movement to “ensure that no child
is deprived of education because of hunger.”
 A group of caring individuals got together to start
a foundation that would help
poor, underprivileged families, ensuring that their
children would be fed healthy, nutritious meals in
government schools.

12. The Akshaya Patra’s
Beliefs
 A mid-day meal program will increase school
enrollment.
 Nutritious foods will will reduce or decrease
school dropouts.
 Students who are well fed will have the energy to
do well in school.
 Good technology will provide high quality
nutrition at a low cost.

13. Centralized Sterile
Kitchens
Corporate partners, the government, and donors
throughout the world are sponsoring the kitchens
that provide high quality nutrition and a low cost to
schools that are in need.
 These centralized sterile kitchens are now feeding
over 10,000,000 children all over India.
 In Jaipur alone, 150,000 children are fed every
day!

14. A Kitchen in Jaipur
I was blessed as I entered Akshaya Patra’s kitchen in Jaipur.

15. Our Guide for the Morning
This is one of the directors of the Akshaya’s Patra’s Program in Jaipur.

16. Students Greet the Visitors

17. Rangoli - Blessing

18. What is an Indian shrine?
This is a shrine to Lord Krishna, a god in India.
Do you see the picture of the man who founded Akshaya Patra?

19. A Tour of the Jaipur Kitchen – What
do you notice?

20. Why would this be in the
Jaipur Kitchen?

21. Bags of Flour for Making
Naan

22. What do you notice?

23. What do you notice?

24. What do you notice?

25. What do you notice?

26. What do you notice?

27. What do you notice?

28. What do you notice?

29. What do you notice?

30. Huge Vats of Soy Oil for
Naan

31. What do you notice?

32. What do you notice?

33. In Jaipur, 450 jobs were created for
women to work in the kitchen.

34. Cooking Daal, Lentil Soup

35. What do you notice?

36. The machines were donated
from the People of Japan.

37. The rice is donated by the
Indian government.

38. An agriculture company helps support 15 acres of
farming land to provide nutritional vegetables of the
mid-day meal for 1,400 government schools in Jaipur.

39. Fresh Ginger

40. There is proper refrigeration for the
fresh vegetables.

41. This is the loading dock where hot and
steaming foods will be delivered by trucks to
government schools throughout the area.

42. What do you notice?

43. Throughout India, these kitchens
provide jobs for 2,278 people.

44. What do you notice?

45. What do you notice?

46. So many mothers are grateful that their
children will benefit from eating well!

47. These are some of the students who
benefit from this program.

48. What do you notice?

49. A Proud Student

50. Sayings Displayed on the
School Walls
What are the values that are being taught in this government school?

51. Students Lining up for
their Mid-Day Meal

52. What do you notice?

53. Happiness is…

54. Two Brothers

55. What do you notice?

56. Happiness is…

57. Best Friends

58. Teachers of the Year

59. This teacher of the year will receive her
“Teacher of the Year”award in Delhi.

60. Proud Teachers and
Students

61. Sad to leave…

62. “Nutritious Foods for
Tummies and Minds”
This is a six word story of the Akshaya Patra Non-Profit Organization –
Unlimited food for education.

63. http://www.akshayapatra
.org/
 This is Akshaya Patra’s website for more information.
 Feel free to contact me for more information:
marcyprager@mac.com
Educational consultant
Curriculum Designer – Integrating social studies and
literacy with a global focus, aligned with the Common Core
Standards