September is Hunger Action Month, a campaign to raise awareness of the hunger crisis worldwide. Do you know that more than 829 million people go hungry every year? After a steady decline for nearly a decade, world hunger is on the rise, a situation largely driven by conflict, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly 150 million additional people being classified as food insecure.

In the 2021 Global Hunger Index (GHI), India ranked 101st out of 116 countries. With a score of 27.5, India has a level of hunger that is ‘serious’, a trend that has been tracking downward since 2016. According to the GHI, the proportion of people facing chronic hunger is up from 14.6% (2018-2020) to 16.3% (2019-2021). The prevalence of wasting in children under five also increased in 2021 compared to 2012. Wasting is the most immediate, visible and life-threatening form of malnutrition that results from the failure to prevent malnutrition among the most vulnerable children.

These alarming statistics should encourage us to take action. Every action makes a difference. Whether you’re volunteering at your local food bank or raising awareness in your community, take action now.

At Akshaya Patra, we believe that there’s no room for hunger. We feed 1.8 million children a hot, nutritious meal every school day in India. Our network is vast – we operate in over 22,000 schools through 66 kitchens in 15 states and 2 Union Territories in India. And it costs only $20 USD to feed a child for an entire school year.

Let’s end classroom hunger together. To donate to our cause, please visit https://apdemo.org/