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
Sana’s Story:
Sana lives in Thane, a city in India, just outside Mumbai. She walks to school daily as she lives nearby. Her biggest motivation to attend school is her teachers who encourage and support her. She wants to complete her Graduation and pursue further studies too. Sana does not want to get married at a young age and stay at home, but rather continue her studies.
Sana enjoys visiting the coast and Chowpatty beach with her family. She excels in fine arts and has excellent skills in the subject. She’s also received awards for her artistic work at her school. Sana finds art as a medium to express her thoughts and feelings, which inspires her to pursue a career in creative arts. Her teachers are very encouraging of her dream and supportive of it.
Belonging to a family of 6, with only two earning members is not easy and her family often struggles to make ends meet. Her father is a tailor and gets work as per orders while her mother is a homemaker and the average monthly income of the family is a mere INR 12,000 (about £116). Sana speaks Urdu and is fluent in Hindi as well. They live in their own house in a Muslim populated community of the city wherein most people are auto drivers, tailors, contract labourers and a few work in offices as well.
Ever since the Akshaya Patra mid-day meal began in her school, Sana has been having it every single day and eagerly waits for lunch. She enjoys the mid-day meals because it is tasty and she is able to concentrate in class with a full stomach.Her favourite meal is Khichdi, which is a delicious lentil Dal dish. Her parents are also happy with the mid-day meals and are relieved to have a meal assured for their daughter on every school day.