Founded in 2024 by Devki Gandhi and Vishnu Satish—two Teach for India alumni—Vidyun is a not-for-profit afterschool learning centre in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. They provide project-based education to children, aged between 9 to 14 years from the Rakhial neighbourhood, who attend the centre for free. 

Learning at the centre takes various forms: cooking new recipes, visiting museums, watching plays, organising open mics, group activities, and sharing circles. Their goal is to help students develop critical thinking, creativity, and leadership skills for the 21st century.

Diet Affects Children's Ability to Learn

The founders at Vidyun believe that balanced nutrition is a cornerstone of development, and a lack of a well-rounded diet affects concentration and learning capacity in those who are food-insecure. 

Across India, ultra-processed and packaged foods—typically high in fat, sugar, and salt—are increasingly replacing fruits, vegetables, and traditional diets. As found in this report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the consumption of ultra-processed food in India surged from USD 900 million (2006) to USD 37.9 billion (2019), growing at over 33 percent annually. As Devki points out, this has also become a big challenge in Rakhial, especially amidst adolescents: “When we see our kids, who are in the seventh grade, and compare them with others from different communities in the same grade, there's a huge difference in their height or how they're growing. All of this comes back to the food that they're getting.” 

Vidyun’s Meal Programme

To address this challenge, Vidyun provides nutritious evening snacks, as part of their Meals Programme, to around 100 children (at present). The menu typically includes home-cooked Gujarati dishes such as dal dhokli, khichdi, and muthiya; freshly made salads and fruits; or sweet-and-spicy chaat prepared by Kamini Chavda, a member of the Rakhial community, in her home kitchen. 

How Can You Help?

Update: In order to sustain the Meals Programme, Vidyun is hoping to raise ₹6,00,000. We committed to help them meet half of the amount: ₹3,00,000. But since launching the fundraiser on the 15th of April, we’ve already reached ₹2,30,801, which is 77 percent of the goal. With this in mind, we’re raising our goal to ₹6,00,000—please consider supporting the initiative.

Here’s a glimpse of what your donation, big or small, will cover:
₹600 - Meals for one child per month
₹1,000 - Food-related activities for 40 children for one month
₹2,500 - One food learning excursion for 40 children
₹3,000 - One cooking workshop for 40 children
₹5,000 - Five months of food-related activities for 40 children
₹6,000 - Two cooking workshops for 40 children
₹10,000 - Four food learning excursions for 40 children

About Vidyun’s Founders

Devki Gandhi and Vishnu Satish are Teach for India alumni who founded Vidyun in 2024. They’ve both been working in the education sector for the last five years. Devki, who loves to cook, read, and travel, believes that in order to create safe, joyful learning spaces it is important for education to be holistic, with a focus on leadership. Similarly, Vishnu is a strong advocate for spaces where students can drive their own learning. He also has a background in coding, which he tries to bring into Vidyun’s curriculum so students can develop technological skills.

About The Locavore

Founded in 2022 by Chef Thomas Zacharias, The Locavore is a platform that champions local Indian food through storytelling, events, projects, and collaborations. Our mission is to celebrate the richness of our food culture and bring our audiences closer to the source of their food by bridging the gap between producers and consumers.