Every time you buy a pack of Howdah Snacks, we give a FREE school lunch to a child in need throughout India, through our partnership with the incredible charity Akshaya Patra. Hunger is one of the biggest barriers to education. Hungry children cannot concentrate, and many parents can't afford to educate their children because of the cost of school meals. Our school meals are often the only nutritious meal they’ll get in a day so, by encouraging these children to go to school and feeding them properly, we give their parents the motivation to support their children's education and, most importantly, we can help the children themselves to get the skills they need to build brighter futures.
Giving back is the core of our brand, and we want to share the stories of some of the incredible children we support
Jasomanta's Story:
Jasomanta studies in class 8 of the Upper Primary School in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha in India. He walks to school daily as he lives nearby. He really enjoys going to school and desires to become a Social Worker when he grows up and serve the poorest and most vulnerable people in society. His biggest source of inspiration is his parents and teachers.
Jasomanta lives with his parents and two siblings – one brother and one sister in their kuccha house. This is a temporary house as the family lives in such poverty, that building a pakka house is difficult for them. His parents both work as laborers and his mother also works as a helper in his school. Still, despite both parents working, the average monthly income is a meagre INR 5000 (about £49.25)
It barely suffices to make ends meet.
Jasomanta receives a free school lunch every day. He loves the meals' Akshaya Patra provide as they are served hot and are very tasty. His favourite meal is the Paneer Mattar (Paneer cheese and Peas in Masala)
Jasomanta has been a beneficiary of the Akshaya Patra free school lunches for the past 5 years now. His parents are really happy about the mid-day meals at school and they are assured that the food their child receives is nutritious, hot and healthy.