Journey of Annapoorna in Jagtial district, Telangana
Jagtial district is located in the northern region of Telangana state. The headquarters of this district is Jagtial. It has a population of about 10,00,000. The Godavari River passes through the district. The district is also home to several holy temples, including a Buddhist stupa. Jagtial fort in the district is also of immense historical significance.
Annapoorna Morning Nutrition program started in Jagtial in the year 2015. About 50 children in a government school in Nagendra Nagar colony were served morning nutrition.
The very next year, HMs from 5 additional schools came forward requesting Annapoorna Trust to serve morning nutrition. Earlier, the children in MPPS Shankulapalli School used to miss classes, or some of them never came on time to school. They used to reach school late, mainly to have the mid-day meal. But after the launch of morning nutrition – milk and biscuit distribution by Annapoorna Trust, attendance improved in the schools, punctuality increased, and focus on academics improved. Due to these improvements, the cancellation of the school centre got postponed.
There used to be only a single teacher in the school, and gradually, with the above-mentioned improvements, she requested a solid breakfast. Annapoorna Trust managed to provide these children with solid breakfast on alternate days. During the COVID pandemic, the Trust helped them with daily ration kits. Today, there are a total of 21 students in the school with 2 teachers.
In 2016, the Trust was serving about 5 schools. But in 2020, the number expanded to 15 schools. By December 2022, children in 150 government schools were provided with SaiSure Millet (Ragi) Multi Nutrient Health mix and jaggery. It further expanded to 300 schools in April 2023, reaching out to 30,000 children.
Then came the grand launch of morning nutrition in June 2023, when the Trust reached out to nearly 2.5 million government schoolchildren across the entire state.
The Morning Nutrition program of Annapoorna Trust not only fights hunger but ignites confidence, fuels dreams, and gives every young mind a shot at success. The 3S model (sarkara, samaja, and samstha) advocated by the Trust, where the organisation works hand in hand with the government and society at large, has proven to be a runaway success. Today, Annapoorna has reached out to 9 million children across 25 states and 4 union territories and will continue to embrace child after child with love and care until no child goes to school hungry, ever!
