Hunger and ignorance feed each other. A child who comes to school hungry cannot learn. A child who cannot read cannot eventually earn enough to feed their own children. This intergenerational poverty trap is the central challenge of social work organisations like ** INDIO FOUNDATION **.
Our Integrated Approach
Nutrition
Supplementary Nutrition Distribution (SND): Monthly take-home rations for children 6 months–6 years and pregnant/lactating mothers in targeted clusters
Growth Monitoring: MUAC (Mid-Upper Arm Circumference) measurements at community health camps — children flagged as SAM (Severely Acute Malnourished) referred to NRC (Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres)
Behavioural Change Communication (BCC): Cooking demonstrations, kitchen garden promotion, and myth-busting around traditional feeding practices
Education
Learning Enhancement Camps (LECs): After-school remedial programs for children who have fallen behind, especially post-COVID
School Enrolment Drives: House-to-house surveys to identify out-of-school children and facilitate RTE Section 12(1)(c) admissions in private schools
Teacher Sensitisation: Training of community teachers in joyful learning methodologies aligned with NEP 2020
The School-Community Interface
Perhaps our most important innovation is the School Health & Nutrition Monitoring Committee (SHNMC) — a parent-teacher body that we help constitute at each partner school. This committee:
Monitors PM POSHAN meal quality and quantity
Tracks absenteeism and flags children who drop out
Conducts termly health screenings with support from our field health team
In schools where SHNMCs are active, PM POSHAN complaint rates have dropped by 41% and enrolment retention rates have improved by 18 percentage points.
What This Costs — and What It Returns
The economic argument for investing in child nutrition and education is unambiguous. The World Bank estimates a 10% return on investment for every year of quality schooling. The Global Nutrition Report puts the ROI on nutrition at ₹16 for every ₹1 spent.
At ** INDIO FOUNDATION **, the cost per beneficiary child per year across our integrated program is approximately ₹3,200 — less than ₹9 per day. Your donation of ₹3,200 can change the trajectory of one child's life.
INDIO FOUNDATION operates in India, Odisha and surrounding districts. For partnerships, volunteering, or media queries, contact us at info@ indio-foundation.com.*
