Leveraging Technology to Feed India's Hungry Children

What do chocolate pumps have to do with solving world hunger? Quite a bit, if you ask the Akshaya Patra Foundation. The Balgdon Pump, initially designed to pump liquid chocolate, helps complete the herculean task of preparing fresh nutritious meals for over 1.3 million impoverished children daily in government-run schools across ten Indian states. For many children, this is their only complete meal of the day, which gives them an incentive to come to school, stay in school, and focus on learning.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation, a public-private partnership, is the largest NGO-run midday meal program in the world. It utilizes innovative technology, smart engineering and good management to reach and continue to grow its current levels of service delivery and keep costs low. It costs them just $15 to feed each child for an entire academic school year.

Madhu Pandit, a graduate of the premier Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay, founded Akshaya Patra with a group of dedicated social entrepreneurs who were also leaders in the Indian IT, engineering and business communities. This group of individuals recognized the seemingly insurmountable problem of childhood hunger and its effects on access to education, and on India's -- and ultimately the world's -- economic and social development. Fortunately, the founders possessed the engineering skills needed to design equipment and layout for a mechanized kitchen which can efficiently cook nutritious meals for large numbers of children at a low-cost.

Their school meal program started modestly, feeding 1,500 underprivileged children in five government schools in Bangalore. A month after the program began, teachers started to report increased attendance by students, and letters started pouring in from neighboring schools asking to be included. This was a defining moment for Pandit as he realized just what one complete meal a day means to children and their families. He saw this as an important strategic intervention in education that unlocks the vicious and perpetual cycle of poverty.

Technical Innovation in a Commercial Kitchen

While the Balgdon chocolate pump is now far removed from the chocolate industry, its function -- to move very viscous fluid -- remains the same. Akshaya Patra ingeniously uses it to pump the "ganji" (excess water from cooking rice) out of the rice cauldrons, where it is then recycled for use in bio-culture or vehicle washing water. This is not the only piece of innovative technology they have become to be known for.

The hallmark of Akshaya Patra's program is its centralized kitchen facilities, which have been designed and engineered to optimize quality and minimize cost, time and labor. These fully automated kitchens can prepare 185,000 meals in less than five hours by utilizing gravity flow mechanisms to minimize human handling of food, mechanized high-speed cutting of vegetables and conveyor belts for easy transportation. Large stainless steel cauldrons with easy-tilt mechanisms prepare 1,200 liters of lentils in two hours and a specially designed roti-making machine cooks up 40,000 rotis (flat whole wheat bread) in one hour. Steam is used as a source of cooking, which accelerates the cooking process, retains nutrients, and is cost-effective and clean. To date, six of the Akshaya Patra kitchens have received FSMS ISO 22000:2005 certification -- a first of its kind achievement for an NGO.

Total Efficiency from Kitchen to School

After the food leaves the kitchen, the Akshaya Patra meal delivery system involves well-coordinated precision logistics using custom designed vehicles that quickly and safely deliver cooked food to schools according to a strict schedule, with optimal storage and minimal spillage. In an effort to minimize fuel consumption and cost, they have developed route simulation software. A pilot run of this tool reduced the number of routes in the Bangalore South kitchen by 10 percent, and experts estimate that an optimization opportunity of up to 15 percent exists if the tool is implemented across all units. Efficiencies in logistics operations were improved by making use of GPS technology in meal delivery vehicles and automating attendance data collection from the schools using IVRS hand-held devices.

Given the size of Akshaya Patra's operation, a strain exists on the local natural resources. India, having 18 percent of the world's population on 2.4 percent of the world's total area, has experienced environmental degradation such as water shortages, soil exhaustion and erosion, deforestation, and air and water pollution. In a bid to reverse this trend, Akshaya Patra has adopted several environmentally friendly practices. Six of the twenty one kitchen locations use Briquette run boilers, fueled by groundnut husk or rice bran instead of diesel. Rain water is harvested and re-routed into a pond, recharging bore-wells and reducing dependency on corporation water. Smokeless stoves are being piloted in their Bangalore location. A mini-fan, powered by rechargeable batteries and controlled by a regulator, blows air to fan the flames. This has helped to reduce fuel cost by 50 percent.

Despite India's booming economic growth, the country is still home to hundreds of millions of people suffering from the dual tragedies of malnutrition and a lack of education. UNICEF estimates that 57 million Indian children are malnourished, impairing their cognitive and social development. The 2011 Global Hunger Index, a report published by the International Food Policy Research Institute, placed India at 67 out of 81 developing countries in hunger. Unless these serious problems are addressed, large numbers of India's children will remain unhealthy and uneducated. This poses a serious obstacle to India's ability to participate effectively in the world economy. It is estimated that child malnutrition is responsible for 22 percent of the country's burden of disease, affecting productivity, income and consumption. Reduced productivity costs India's economy approximately $2.5 billion annually. With a potential labor and consumer force of one billion people, this can have serious implications for the global economy.

A wholesome mid-day meal, served in schools, helps break the cycle of poverty and helps children to become productive global citizens. India's expanding economy, in this global environment, presents extraordinary opportunities for large numbers of young people, but those who remain uneducated, unskilled and unhealthy will have poor prospects. Akshaya Patra's technology applications benefit humanity by liberating children from hunger and a lack of education. They are investing in a better world by protecting our future. This is a cause I can get behind.

For more information please visit www.foodforeducation.org

A Place to Eat, a Place to Learn

We all need a place to eat, and we all need a place to learn. The more support we have in these two areas when we are young, the better our chances of not growing up to be hungry adults. For most children, the primary environment in which they eat and learn is school. They also do a lot of their learning in the library. I think protecting our libraries is just as important as protecting the nourishment of our young population. Libraries -- both in our schools and in our communities -- are vital building blocks for youth.

This is why it's alarming that, according to IMLS.gov , a recent report shows that library funding has seen a 34% decline nationwide in the past three years. Some states, like New Mexico and Florida, report record drops in budget revenue (as much as 50%) and cuts totaling more than 14 million dollars.

While chances for library funding have decreased, they have not disappeared altogether. I was inspired by the recent creative approach to this issue by the children and adults at M.N. Spear Memorial Library in Shutesbury, MA. This community has launched an online video campaign to save a vital resource: their historic 100-year-old library, which is so small that "weekly story hours can only accommodate 5 or 6 children" and which desperately needs plumbing and structural repairs.

The State Library Commission promised the Shutesbury library 2.1 million dollars for upgrades, but here's the catch: in order to get the funds, they must first raise $1.4 million on their own. Their efforts to raise the money are working, thanks to social media and one generous donor. If you ask me, donating to the Shutesbury library is a pretty good investment: taxpayers get a 250% return on their investment once the entire 3.5 million dollars turns into a new library for the community. Check out Shutesbury's effort:

Even if you don't live in Shutebury or even in Massachusetts, supporting one small town's library system is a great way to show your support of libraries in general, especially in this age of digital media. Libraries still serve their purpose: they are physical places of learning and community, especially for children. Mary Anne Antonellis, Director of the M.N. Spear Memorial Library, says that "the children's room is the heart of the library" where young and old come together to pass down the traditions and knowledge of their communities. Saving a library is a great way to support the intellect of a young population, while also helping forge a relationship between the communities' young and elder populations.

Of course, a library is only as useful as the health of its patrons. Many of the libraries in the world are in schools, and their patrons are students. This means that the libraries are only as useful as the health of the student bodies, and this is especially true for younger students.

One of the most important things for elementary and high school students is access to quality food, both at school and at home. According to the ConnAgra Foods Foundation, child hunger is "a major issue" in America: "During the 2009-2010 school year, 20 million children received free or reduced-price lunches through the National School Lunch Program, but only 2.3 million children received meals during the summer months of 2009 through the Summer Food Service Program." That's 17.7 million children that we can only hope were able to eat decently over the summer months while school was not in session.

Shridhar Venkat, who runs one of the largest school lunch programs in the world, Akshaya Patra Foundation, recently was quoted in an NPR story saying, "Feeding a child is not charity." I think most of us would agree. Not only is it not charity, nourishment is the essential element which got all of us adults to where we are today.

Efforts to keep our young population well nourished and well educated will always come back to us tenfold. I support budget increases for libraries and food programs simply because the health and wellness of today's youth is a direct indicator of who our leaders will be in a few decades. Programs like Akshaya Patra and the M.N Spear Memorial Library are the glue of society that keep food on our children's plates and education flowing through their minds. Let's support them!

Learn more at foodforeducation.org and mnspear.org.

Chris Wondolowksi "Taking the Space" for the Homeless

It's easy to get stuck on big ideas or feeling like you have to spend time learning something new or stepping out of your comfort zone before you can make a difference. I appreciate anyone who can stop and think about how to do some social good with their talents. After all, it's all too easy to just get consumed by them and keep them to ourselves. I love the story of Chris Wondolowksi, two-time Major League Soccer goal-scoring leader, who is a perfect example of someone who used his existing talent to do good things.

Wondolowski was relatively unknown just two years ago as a bench player for the San Jose Earthquakes when he seized a small window of playing time and surprised everyone by scoring goals at an alarming rate. He could have been content to finally be living his dream of playing big minutes and soaking in the glory of becoming a national soccer star. But during the best season of his life, Chris started looking at Bay Area charities where he could have an impact. When he learned about Street Soccer USA (SSUSA), a national organization that teaches job and life skills to the homeless through soccer, it all come together for him.

Rob Cann, one of the founders of SSUSA, and I went on a camping trip to Monterey with a group of friends last weekend. We got rained out, and ended up spending too much time in our hotel rooms, but I'm thankful as he had the chance to tell me more about the vision of his organization.

One of the lessons they teach to over 20 teams of homeless players across the country is called "taking the space." On the soccer field, taking the space means having your head up, seeing the field, and taking advantage of the opportunities in front of you. In the training, SSUSA equates this skill to how the players live their lives, encouraging them to identify opportunities, to seize the chances in front of them, and to not be afraid of what might happen if they take the first step forward. SSUSA, by the way, has been very successful with their model: 75 percent of participants who have been a part of the program for a full year either go back to school, complete a treatment program, or get a job or housing.

This year, Wondolowski took the space and kicked off the "One Goal at a Time Campaign" to raise awareness and funds for Street Soccer USA. With each goal he scores during the 2012 season he is making a $100 donation to SSUSA. Other soccer players have decided to join him as well.

Chris Wondolowski talking about the One Goal at a Time Campaign:

This simple lesson of "taking the space" can apply to teaching the homeless accountability and how to seize opportunities, and it can also apply to you and me. You don't necessarily have to make a huge sacrifice to help the homeless, and you don't have to be a professional athlete like Chris, either. You probably have other talents -- art, finance, cooking, stand up comedy (if we're lucky), or maybe you're just good on the grill. There is a role for you to help out in your community. You just need to identify the space in front of you where you can make an impact, and go for it!

If you are interested in learning more or making a contribution to the One Goal at a Time Campaign, visit www.onegoalatatime.org. A pledge of just five dollars per goal provides a homeless youth with a uniform, a mentor, and job training lessons for a season.

If you happen to be a pro soccer player reading this, consider getting in touch with SSUSA, and raising money with every goal you score.

The Gravity of World Hunger Stats

The hunger issue is one of the largest problems humanity is facing right now. Last week I wrote about how close to home the hunger issue is for all of us -- closer than we think. Statistics show that no matter where you live, there is someone within a few miles of you going hungry right now.

Food security is a big deal everywhere in the world. According to the World Food Programme, hunger is the number one health risk on this planet -- bigger than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. Can you believe that? Actually, there are more people challengedby hunger than the entire populations of the U.S, Canada and the European Union put together.

So why don't we hear about this pandemic every single night on the news? Well, I think it's a hard one to solve, so there aren't often solutions suggested that are newsworthy. Also, in many ways I think the hunger issue gets ignored because we are so used to hearing about it. It's not melodramatic or glamorous, and it wouldn't necessarily lend itself to a good blockbuster movie script. But it's a very real problem that is affecting humanity, and it's getting worse.

When you look at the statistics, it's hard to ignore the gravity of the issue.

• Nine hundred twenty-five million of the earth's people do not have enough to eat,  and 98 percent of them live in developing countries.
• Asia and the Pacific islands are home to over half the world's population and nearly two thirds of the world's hungry people.
• Women make up a little over half of the world's population, but they account for over 60% of the world's hungry.
• 65 percent  of the world's hungry live in only seven countries: India, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan and Ethiopia.
• In developing countries, undernutrition contributes to the death of five million children under the age of five every year.
• One out of four children -- roughly 146 million -- in developing countries is underweight.
• More than 70 percent of the world's underweight children under the age of five live in just 10 countries, with more than 50 percent located in South Asia alone.
• 10.9 million children under the age of five die in developing countries every year, and 60 percent of these deaths are caused by malnutrition and hunger-related diseases.
• Iron deficiency is the most common type of malnutrition, affecting an estimated 2 billion people worldwide. It's been hypothesized that eliminating iron deficiency would improve global productivity levels by as much as 20 percent.
• Iodine deficiency is the greatest single cause of mental retardation and brain damage. It affects 1.9 billion people worldwide and can easily be prevented by adding iodine to salt.

These are global stats. To bring it closer to home, let's talk about U.S. stats, brought to us courtesy ofFeedingamerica.org:

• In 2009, there were 43.6 million people in the U.S. living in poverty, 15.5 million of them children under the age of 18 and 3.4 million of them seniors over the age of 65.11
• In 2010, 14.5 percent of U.S. households were "food insecure." Of these, households with children reported food insecurity issues at a higher rate of 20.2%.
• Food insecurity exists in every single county in this country, with the lowest percentage being in Steele County, N.D. (5 percent) and the highest in Wilcox County, Ala. (a staggering 38 percent).13

Sobering, right? Like I mentioned in my last post, we can chip away at this issue. The easiest place to start is close to home -- right here in the U.S., where, as you can see, help is drastically needed. At Curry Without Worry, we are creating starter kits for people to start food programs in their towns. If you are interested in this, contact us.

Food Security

Imagine this scenario: You are hungry. It's been a long day, and you just pulled into the shopping center, planning to grab dinner at your favorite noodle house. You've already decided what you are going to order, what appetizer you are going to get, and what you want to drink. You might even splurge and get dessert, but you will wait and see how you feel after your eat. Sounds pretty normal, right? Nothing too extreme about this picture.

Ok, now, let's spin it. This time, when you walk in, I step out from behind the counter and inform you that you wont be able to eat here tonight. I explain that it's just not possible, and really, there is nothing I can do. You should leave. Furthermore, I explain, you won't be able to eat anywhere tonight. All restaurants are closed -- but just to you. You look around and see that others are eating, but food is out of reach for you, and you alone. And you're hungry.

For most of us, that doesn't sound like a great night. When we're hungry, we expect to eat. In fact, we expect to be able to eat whatever we want.

Eating when we are hungry -- or, as many of us like to say, when we are "starving" -- is easily taken for granted. It's so normal for us to get food when we want it, and most of us find a way to get it when we need it. However, more people than you might realize, and maybe even someone you know, does not have this luxury. Food insecurity exists in every single county in the U.S. If you aren't one of the people struggling to find food to eat, I can assure you that someone geographically close to you is, at this very moment, actually starving.

This is no small deal. This is a huge deal! After all, what is more important to your survival (and your family's survival) than food? This hunger issue has a lot to do with unemployment levels, the economy in general, and indeed with the personal financial and life choices of individuals. Still, the bigger picture indicates that in this land of opportunity, for many, it's just not working out.

This isn't your fault, or mine, but it is a real chance for us to help. You don't need much money to help; you just need time. You can volunteer, you can fund raise, or you can literally wait at the checkout stand at your local grocery store until you see someone who is using food stamps, and offer to chip in. It's always going to be easier to look the other way, but when someone looks the other way with you, it will be too late. If you have the power to make a difference now -- even a little bit -- consider yourself lucky, and go for it.

I know that all anyone needs to be generous and thoughtful is a little push. People are good, and want to help. But it's often hard to know where to start. I say, start simple, with the obvious: with the people in your everyday world. Picking up the check for someone who is obviously in need will not only help put them on track, it will give you the joy that lies in helping others who are facing the hunger issue.

And if you are someone facing hunger insecurity right now, I assure you, there is help out there for you, and huge groups of people thinking about how to most effectively remedy the hunger issue. You are not alone, and there is a hot meal around the corner. Hang in there.

Feeding America. Gundersen, G., Waxman, E., Engelhard, E., & Brown, J. Map the Meal Gap, 2011.

Originally posted in The Huffington Post : http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jesse-seaver/helping-the-hungry_b_1366995.html