For 9-year-old Shruti, the mid-day meal at her school is the only full meal that she gets on most days. The meal fills her up but does not provide the essential nutrients - proteins, vitamins, and minerals. It is no wonder that, when medical volunteers from ‘The Breakfast Revolution’ initially examined Shruti, they found that she was severely anemic, exhibited stunted growth, and had a BMI of only 16.

Shruti’s plight, unfortunately, is not uncommon across India. Even as India’s growth over the last two decades has made us proud, the epidemic of malnutrition remains unabated. This problem is so common to us that it seems normal and we often ignore it completely. 1 in 2 children is malnourished. 9 in 10 adolescent girls are anemic. And this has serious consequences - just last year, we lost 500,000 children (half of all child deaths) due to malnutrition. This is unacceptable and must change.

The Breakfast Revolution is a non-profit that fights the epidemic of malnutrition in India via tasty, fortified, and affordable meals. Each snack provides 100% of the child’s daily requirement of vitamins and minerals and as much vegetarian protein as 3 eggs. The meals cost INR 7-10, making the program affordable for all. In addition to the meals, our program includes health check-ups, deworming and nutritional education to improve hygiene and food choices at home.

Over the last 3 years, we have impacted the lives of 50,000 malnourished children and women. More than 70% children on the program have shown significant improvements within 6 months. But this is a drop in the ocean as malnutrition affects millions. Our goal for 2022 is to impact 1 million lives and generate evidence for better nutrition-related policy-making by the Indian Government.

To get there, we need your kind support. Let us join hands to strengthen India’s national resource and future assets – its children.

Funding appeal:

Cost per child for a holistic nutrition program: INR 1,500 or USD 22 (includes 180 fortified meals, 2 health check-ups and 2 doses of deworming