Akshata Murty, who had recently announced a mathematics related charity initiative with her husband – former UK prime minister Rishi Sunak – took the message to a leading children’s charity to engage with pupils benefiting from an innovative after-school meals programme.
Akshaya Patra’s ‘Hot Meals and Homework’ clubs operate at schools in areas of significant deprivation, providing additional nutrition and tuition for some of the UK’s most disadvantaged children. The initiative tackles the twin problems of food poverty and educational inequality by enabling children living in poorer communities to access, at every after-school session, a hot and nutritious meal paired with extra teaching support. Murty has long supported Akshaya Patra’s efforts to serve good food, which fuels education and opportunity.
She said: “My family and I have been very proud to play our part in Akshaya Patra’s incredible story, watching it grow to feed 2.2 million children every day across India.
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“It is so important that the charity is also helping to change lives here in the UK and I am delighted to shine a spotlight on its brilliant initiative Hot Meals and Homework. Rishi and I are passionate about education and breaking down barriers to social mobility, and I have been so impressed by what the Hot Meals and Homework programme is achieving for so many communities.
“Akshaya Patra’s school partners all have thriving after-school clubs where children are enjoying healthy food and benefitting from targeted literacy and numeracy support from their dedicated teachers. These clubs can play a big part in reducing the attainment gap.”
During her visit to Akshaya Patra’s Watford kitchen recently, Akshata Murty assisted the charity’s cooks and met students from Nottingham’s Strelley Academy, one of the first schools to adopt the Hot Meals and Homework club model.
Murty, who has co-founded a charity focused on improving numeracy skills with her husband, shared a meal with the children and enthusiastically assisted them with their maths homework.
Daniel Adams, Chief Executive Officer of Akshaya Patra, said, “It has been wonderful to welcome Akshata to our kitchen. She is an incredibly inspiring advocate for solutions that empower communities, and her visit today has shone a spotlight on the vital connection between food, education, and opportunity.
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“Akshaya Patra’s after-school clubs play a crucial role in bridging this gap by offering a safe space where disadvantaged children can receive both a hot, nourishing meal and the additional academic support they need to fulfil their potential. We hope to expand to many more schools, as funds allow.”
Sarah O’Connell, headteacher of Djanogly Strelley Academy, said, "The Hot Meals and Homework programme has made a real difference to our pupils – not just in aiding their academic progress, but in their confidence, energy to learn, and overall wellbeing. The additional hot meal has also proved a great support for families struggling to make ends meet.”
*Info: Akshaya Patra
