How to decide which NGO to support?

 Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are nonprofit groups of people or institutions that operate on a global, national or local level independently to advance socioeconomic objectives and welfare of the people.

There are two categories of NGOs:

Operational NGOs: These groups concentrate on developing and carrying out development initiatives.

NGO advocacy groups: These groups support or advance a certain cause.

Some NGOs can function as both operational and advocacy NGOs.

Since it is difficult to personally cater to the needs of vulnerable communities, many people donate to NGOs, making an indirect yet a very important contribution to the community in which they live. With lakhs of active non-profit organisations to choose from, it is advised to exercise caution while making donations to NGO fundraising efforts if you want to direct your financial resources towards a cause.

NGOs are crucial to society because they support a wide range of issues, including education, poverty reduction, environmental protection and human rights. NGOs frequently focus on tackling certain social, economic and environmental challenges and strive to improve society. An excellent method to make a difference and support the causes you care about is to support an NGO.

Supporting the right NGO is crucial—be it the pursuit of a cause that matches with your beliefs or be it having a positive impact on the world.

How to check the authenticity of NGOs?

Since non-profit organisations cannot turn a profit, they solicit donations in order to maintain or expand their programmes and continue making an impact. If you wish to donate money, you must first get well-versed with the cause; i.e., comprehend the seriousness of the problem the NGO is attempting to solve and the impact and importance of the solution.

In order to fulfil our moral obligation to those in need, it is our duty as humans to support the welfare efforts—one way of doing this is by assisting nonprofit organisations.

Here are some justifications for your support of NGOs. 

• The cause is honourable. 

• It is a means of contributing to society.

• You have the chance to assist those in need.

• You have the opportunity to express sympathy, empathy and compassion.

• Spiritual fulfilment is the result.

There are various NGOs that work in a variety of fields. Find an NGO that promotes a cause you can get behind and that resonates with you.

Here are a few questions that will help you decide which NGO you should support: 

1.What share of your donation is utilised for the cause?

 The NGO should devote at least 80% of your donation to the subject it supports.  

2.Do you have access the outcome of your donation?

Pay attention to where your money is going, even a little bit of it. Be ready to assess the results of your humanitarian work. A good NGO will always pay attention to transparency and accountability. It will put the details of donations received and programme/administrative expenditure in public domain through annual reports and official website to ensure that donors know how their money is being spent.

3.What are the qualities of a genuine NGO?

A true NGO should uphold the policies set by the administration.  It will also provide you with a receipt for your donations. You could use this receipt as proof that you recently gave money to an authorised, registered NGO. A real NGO would always register under 80G Certification, which may allow donors to simply acquire a tax exemption.  

4.What motivates donors to make donation?

A good and successful NGO has a clearly defined set of goals, guiding ideals and ethos that motivates donors to make donations.

5.What are the characteristics of a genuine NGO?

One of the key characteristics of a genuine NGO is having a positive relationship with the donors. A genuine NGO operates with complete accountability, transparency and democracy and will constantly consider the ideas and opinions of each group member during discussions and brainstorming sessions.  

Regardless of the niche they occupy or their operational scale, NGOs play a crucial role in ensuring the welfare efforts. However, they often find themselves relying on people’s inclination to give or do charity. That’s where your support comes into the picture. You may support NGOs like The Akshaya Patra Foundation that upholds the standard of its cause, making it one of the most trustworthy organisations in India to give to. With access to the two requirements of nutrition and education, your donation to the NGO will help children realise their full potential.

The role of mid-day meals in nurturing a healthy world

 'Children are like buds in a garden and should be carefully and lovingly nurtured, as they are the future of the nation and the citizens of tomorrow'- Jawaharlal Nehru

As the first Prime Minister of India said, childhood is the budding stage and thus requires utmost care and attention during this age. It is the pivotal period for physical, mental and cognitive development. So, when a child is born, parents do everything for their overall well-being. They give them everything they need for a better future. However, there are families who unable to provide nutritional meal to their children on a regular basis due to their financial constraints. Should the children of such parents be left behind due to their difficult circumstances? A big No! 

Here lies the importance of implementing the Mid-Day Meal Programme in schools. 

Mid-Day Meal Programme (MDM) - A source of nutrition

Mid-Day Meal Programme (PM POSHAN Abhiyaan) is a crucial initiative put forward by the Government of India to address classroom hunger and malnutrition among children in government and government-aided schools. If children don’t have adequate nutrient-rich food, it may cause long-term consequences in their life like stunting, wasting, etc. 

Through this programme, the government ensures that all children, regardless of their financial and family backgrounds, are receiving a wholesome meal at least once a day, thus, improving their academic performance. 

How MDM improves academic performance?

Studies have proved that children who receive mid-day meals have a better attention span which helps them to concentrate on their classes and perform well in their academics. Without sufficient nutrition, they will not get the energy to focus on their learning effectively. 

Mid-day meal encourages children to go to school as they are receiving hot, tasty, nutritious, lunch in their school thus increasing enrolment, attendance and retention rate, along with enhancing their nutritional status.

MDM supports girls’ education and health

The study of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) finds that girls are more vulnerable to undernutrition than boys.  The report says, 59.1% of adolescent girls are anaemic because, during the adolescent stage, girls are at the onset of menstruation. This is a crucial time in their life, and so, any nutritional deficiencies might have an adverse impact on the health of the girl, ultimately affecting the future of the country in general. MDM promotes girls’ education and their health as it motivates parents to send their children to school, irrespective of their gender. 

If girls can continue their education, it helps them to pursue their career goals, ultimately they can be the productive citizens in India.

Role of NGOs in MDM

NGOs play a crucial role in serving the beneficiaries of the MDM. Akshaya Patra is an NGO for children, currently feeding 2 million children every day across schools in 15 states and 2 union territories in India. 

With the support of the government, corporates, philanthropists, individuals, and well-wishers, the organisation has made noteworthy contributions in the implementation of the programme and is consistently seeking every possible avenue to reach out to more children in India. The organisation’s mission is to feed 3 million children by 2025.

School – where children explore, dream & discover

 Every student's education at school helps in the discovery of their individual passions and interests. In a sense, school sets the way for children to design their career paths and rungs on the ladder to a prosperous future.

Why Schooling is Important for Children?

School is the primary source of education for a child. It gives children the ability to learn about many things, including people, literature, history, math, politics and social science. 

A school is also responsible for the overall development of children as this is where they learn about cultural diversity and moral values like honesty, respect, integrity, harmony and so on. It is also the first step to higher education and consequently, a good career and quality life.

School helps children socialise

Children have the opportunity to interact with other children of the same age-group by going to school. While some children just interact with their classmates, others develop lifelong friendships. Socialising and meeting new people also extend their horizons in terms of knowledge. 

School keeps children engaged

Being idle all day can be really boring and exhausting. Going to school keeps children active and teaches them other valuable skills, in addition to keeping them active.

School makes children vocal and instills confidence

Schooling instills confidence among children and they become more vocal as they have new ideas and thoughts about various topics. School teaches children to question and understand everything rationally. 

School contributes towards overall development

The days when learning just involved memorising historical events, cracking difficult math problems, and memorising sonnets and poems are long gone. Today, education is a child's first step in life, where he or she learns a lot more than merely memorising facts. One of the many things a school gives a child is the ability to develop and refine their interests. Other things include learning the basics of manners, becoming proficient at multitasking and enhancing their social skills.

Apart from the above advantages, schooling trains children to live a civilised and cultured life when they grow up. Schooling brings self-discipline among children and makes them responsible. School enables children to read, write, speak and express themselves adequately and shapes their personality.

To ensure that children get the best of everything in terms of education, growth and more, as they come back to school for a new academic year, supporting children from backgrounds with limited resources through NGOs like Akshaya Patra, can go a long way. Every donation made towards the NGO guarantees nutritious mid-day meals to government school children every day, thus allowing them to focus on their academics and other co-curricular activities. 

These meals simultaneously aim to improve the nutritional level of children and enhance their enrolment, retention, and attendance at schools. Akshaya Patra’s 67 kitchens cook and deliver the meals to over 22,000 school across 15 states and 2 UTs. 

Make ‘Back to School’ memorable for children and help the future generation fulfil their dreams and keep their hopes alive.