With healthy food to a school diploma

School lunches for children in India

Ten year old Manjula’s father died early in her life and she has been living with her mother and her 19 year old brother (who is disabled) on the outskirts of the village of Rangavvanahalli in Karnataka, India. While her mother was working as a day-labourer, both children were often left to their own devices and could not go to school. When a social worker of the organisation Vikasana heard of her story, she offered to have Manjula enrolled and cared for in the school in Vikasana. The school gives children from poor families all-round care, with the aim of getting them integrated in a regular school. That gives them a chance for a better future. Today, Manjula is happy to live among 34 other children at the school. Because of the regular and nutritious meals she is receiving, she is thriving and has become a good pupil. English is her favourite subject.

Background

The Indian government has been promoting basic education for children for about a decade now. However, it is still very common for children in rural areas whose parents are poor to drop out of school after less than eight years. These children are often required to work to contribute to the family income. Being labourers, their parents often earn less than 20 euros per month.

As a result, the children of disadvantaged families have no access to education. And being deprived of a sufficient and balanced diet can also cause cognitive impairments. This is where the Karl Kübel Foundation and their partner comes in: Providing disadvantaged children with a safe home, regular and healthy meals and access to education, and thereby giving them the chance of a self-determined future without poverty.

The good deed

35 children from extremely poor and socially deprived families currently live and are educated at the school in Vikasana. They are given full support, attend school regularly and have the time and space to play and discover their own talents. Their physical welfare is taken care of through nutritious and varied meals as well as medical care.