Role of Anganwadi Programme

Role of Anganwadi Programme in
Early Childhood Development
THE AKSHAYA PATRA FOUNDATION
www.akshayapatra.org

Anganwadi programme is an initiative of the Government of India focussed on early child care
and mother care. It is a part of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). Anganwadi
centres are responsible to provide six main services i.e. supplementary nutrition, pre-school
non-formal education, nutrition and health education, immunisation, health check-up and
referral services. It is reported that currently, there are 14-lakh approved AWCs and 7,076 ICDS
Projects across the country (Government press release, 7 February 2014).
To support and accelerate government’s efforts in providing proper child and mother care, The
Akshaya Patra Foundation has undertaken Anganwadi feeding programme as one of its social
initiatives.
Early childhood i.e. 0-5 years is a critical phase and children attain several developmental
milestones during this phase. And, for proper growth and development, being healthy is an
important factor, thereby making nutritious diet a must for these children. Heeding to this,
Akshaya Patra strives to provide nutritious meals to Anganwadi children.
Akshaya Patra is an NGO in India implementing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in association in the
Central Government and various State Governments. It has been in the service of providing
nutrition-rich diet to children since 2000. By doing so, the NGO aims at bringing children to
school and supporting their education. By far, it has been able to benefit more than 1.7 million
children across 12 states of India.
Since nutrition and health are two of the six main services of Anganwadi centres, the feeding
programme in these centres take care of nutritional requirement of children during their early
The Akshaya Patra Foundation © 2018

childhood. Nutrition is important in countering malnutrition, under-5 mortality rate,
underweight, stunting, and other chronic diseases affecting children. Therefore, by
implementing the Anganwadi feeding programme, Akshaya Patra aims at providing adequate
nutrition to children aged between 0 and 5 years of age. Adequate nutrition during the
formative years results in proper cognitive and physical development among children.
Healthy children attain their developmental milestones age-appropriately compared to
nutrition-deficient children. Well-nourished children have better concentration levels and are
more active, inquisitive, and interested in learning new things. These children are more
confident and are more social too. These aspects form a strong foundation for future
development and learning resulting in overall development of children right from the growing
years.
Presently, Akshaya Patra is serving nutritious meals at 4,786 Anganwadi centres in nine
locations of five states – Hyderabad, Jaipur, Baran, Vadodara, Surat, Ahmedabad, Vrindavan,
Narsingi, and Warangal. The NGO has a beneficiary base of 1,61,410 young children and 6,410
pregnant and lactating women. The NGO wants to expand the Anganwadi feeding programme
to more locations and for doing this it requires your support.
When you choose to donate to charity for this feeding programme, you will directly impact and support
the health and nutrition status of millions of young children. Your contribution will enable Akshaya Patra
to provide nutrition-rich meals to more and more children thereby paving way for a healthier nation.
Well then, step forward and donate to charity and be the provider of nutrition for young lives.
The Akshaya Patra Foundation © 2018