U.S.-India Partnership Seeks to Expand School Nutrition Programs

WASHINGTON — A new partnership between U.S. anti-hunger organization Share Our Strength and India-focused humanitarian groups is aiming to expand school nutrition programs in India and other developing nations, with leaders calling child hunger a solvable problem that requires global cooperation.

The initiative was highlighted during a “Purposeful Private Dinner” in Washington hosted by Share Our Strength and the One World One Family Mission. The event brought together philanthropists, chefs, entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders to discuss ways to address morning hunger among schoolchildren.

Billy Shore, founder and executive chair of Share Our Strength, said the organization’s work in India has grown quickly in recent years.

“So to date, we have reached about 600,000 kids in India with 30 million meals, I believe. And just in the last two and a half, three years by doing this work,” Shore said.

Shore said Share Our Strength has moved beyond small grants and is now developing a broader network in India through culinary events, partnerships and advocacy.

“One of the reasons why we chose India to work in primarily is because government supports school meals. There’s a growing strong culinary industry. It’s a strong economy,” he said.

The Washington event included Sri Madhusudan Sai, founder of the One World One Family Mission; Rahul Vinod, co-founder of Indian restaurant chain RASA DC; and award-winning chef Erik Bruner-Yang of Maketto.

Sai, whose organization runs free nutrition, healthcare and education programs in several countries, said hunger can be addressed only when governments, businesses and civil society work together.

“I truly believe it’s not the government who should make this happen. It is not a huge organisation that make it happen. It is people who can make this happen,” Sai said.

Sai, an Indian spiritual leader and former banker, described hunger and inequality as consequences of “human selfishness” and called for people and institutions to pursue “incremental good.”

“Every day a little more good than the previous day. The incremental good is my measure of success,” he said.

Sai also called for stronger engagement with Indian state governments to expand school meal programs.

“I would want you to join us in talking to the state governments in India,” he told Share Our Strength leaders.

During the discussion, Share Our Strength said it plans to incubate a separate international organization called Strength Global over the next 18 months.

“Share our strength is going to incubate over the next 18 months, a sister organisation we’re gonna call it Strength Global,” Shore said.

The new entity will focus on India and other international partnerships, while Share Our Strength continues its domestic anti-hunger work in the United States.

According to event materials, One World One Family Mission operates nutrition, healthcare and education programs across 100 countries. Its Annapoorna Breakfast Programme provides free morning nutrition to more than 10 million schoolchildren across India, covering more than 150,000 schools in 25 states and four Union Territories.

Share Our Strength, founded in 1984 in response to the Ethiopian famine, is best known in the United States for its No Kid Hungry campaign, which works to expand access to school meals and child nutrition programs.

The collaboration reflects growing U.S.-India engagement in philanthropy, nutrition and social impact efforts as food insecurity and child malnutrition remain major global challenges. (Source: IANS)