BACKGROUND
Hunger and malnutrition affect millions of people in India, causing severe health complications and even death. India produces enough food to feed our entire population of 1.3 billion people but the struggle is ensuring that this food reaches the most vulnerable i.e., food access.
Hunger causes a range of problems and the most severe among these is malnutrition. The World Food Programme has estimated that 1/4th of undernourished people in the world live in India. Malnutrition leads to serious health conditions such as weakness, stunted growth, anemia and other diseases. In children, this affects the ability to attend and perform well in school thus minimizing their chances of securing a better future.
While 25% of all people with malnutrition live in India due to a lack of access to food, we also have a high rate of food wastage. Based on the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 2021 research, 50kgs of food is wasted per household each year in India.
OUR HUNGER AND NUTRITION PROGRAM
Youngistaan Foundation serves the needs of people suffering with hunger and starvation through a two-step program: by cooking hygienic and home-made meals for the poor and distributing the meals to the homeless, and by collecting extra food from restaurants, hotels, weddings and other ceremonies (reducing food wastage) and distributing them to the homeless and other people in need.
The Hunger and Nutrition programme strives to improve the dietary conditions of those in dire need for food, and works with existing government agencies and civilian services to save excess food and convert it to a food supply for the poor.
COOKING MEALS
Every weekend, we purchase fresh staple foods and gather together to cook nutritious meals which are then neatly packaged. Take a look at the streets of Hyderabad on a Sunday morning, and you will see Youngistaan Foundation volunteers getting on their bikes ready to deliver freshly packaged food parcels to the homeless and others in need.
DISTRIBUTING MEALS
During the weekdays, we approach restaurants and other eateries with whom we have partnered with as restaurant-partners to reduce food wastage. Youngistaan Foundation volunteers collect excess food which is then packed and distributed in the evenings to people living on the streets and others in need.
OUR IMPACT
- Distributed 2,300,000 home-made meals
GET INVOLVED
- If you would like to volunteer with us, you can cook meals with us or distribute meals to people in need
- If you are a restaurant or eatery, you can partner with us as a restaurant-partner to donate excess food
KEY FACTS
- India ranks 94th out of 107 countries – Global Hunger Index (based on UN data)
- 1/4th of the world’s undernourished people live in India – World Food Programme
- 40% of food produced in India is wasted – Indian Food Bank
FURTHER READING
Issues in Focus | Global Hunger Index
Nutrition and Food Security | UN in India
Youngistaan Foundation Program Brochure
