Decentralized Kitchens

A decentralized model is one where all the cooking activities of a school take place in an area close to the school itself.

Akshaya Patra decentralized kitchens are set up in remote areas of the country where difficult terrain makes setting up of large infrastructures infeasible. In such areas, Akshaya Patra representatives identify self-help groups (in many cases women’s groups), who will then carry out the cooking process. They are trained and educated to prepare the meals in a healthy, hygienic manner and provided with all the raw materials and infrastructure required for cooking.

The Akshaya Patra representatives are responsible for the operations and smooth running of the program. We monitor the entire process to ensure that the children get the best meals. Our representatives take feedback from the school authorities, parents and, most importantly the children, to maintain the high quality that has become the hallmark of our program.

A unique feature of this model is that quite often, the women cooking the meals are the mothers of the children we reach out to. Hundreds of such mothers have benefitted from the program. Not only do they get to cook food for their own sons and daughters, but also gain a certain amount of financial independence from the employment created.