Protect Childrens

Rights this Human

Rights Day
Human Rights Day 2015 focuses on four
freedoms. This year, support human rights and
return children their right to education via
non-government organisations.

"To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity. To
impose on them a wretched life of hunger and deprivation is to dehumanise
them.
---- Nelson Mandela
Happy Human Rights Day!
December 10 is Human Rights Day. It is on this day; 63 years back the United
Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(UDHR). Though the Human Rights Day was an outcome of the World War II,
protecting human rights still remains to be one of the main focuses around the
world. This is thanks to the non-profit organisations that have dedicated their
time and work to expose different issues affecting humans and initiated actions
to protect and support human rights all these years.

Human Rights Day 2015 is dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the two main
covenants on Human Rights- International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights (ICCPR).

The Akshaya Patra Foundation

While the 2014 theme of Human Rights Day - Human Rights 365 or celebration
of every day as Human Rights Day is still going on, the focus this year will be
spreading awareness about the four freedoms freedom of speech, freedom of
worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear. These freedoms form the
basis for the International Bill of Human Rights.
This year, the United Nations is also conducting events to honour the memories
of its two major advocates Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt. The
four freedoms were first voiced by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941 and
his wife Eleanor helped add these rights into documents.
In India, protecting rights of children has been taken up enthusiastically by a
non-profit organization called The Akshaya Patra Foundation. Delivering
nutritious mid-day meals since 2000, the organisation tries to protect children
from poverty, hunger, malnutrition and illiteracy.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation

Starting the efforts with feeding 1,500 children 15 years ago, the non-profit
organisation now feeds free mid-day meals to over 1.4 million children in 24
locations across 10 states. However, the non-governmental organisation wants
to reach 5 million children by 2020.
The menu is designed to include all the nutrients for childrens growth and also
to suit the local palate. The organisation has custom designed meal distribution
vehicles to keep the meals warm and fresh till they were delivered to the
children.

These measures have helped improve school enrolment, class attendance and
childrens performance. Studies have also shown that children were able to
concentrate better in class after they started eating the Akshaya Patra meals.
This initiative has helped bring hope to over a million underserved children in
India.
The work that Akshaya Patra has undertaken shows the ongoing efforts to
secure children their basic rights in India. This Human Rights Day, let us stand
together and fight the issues that Indian children are still facing.
On this occasion,support human rights; support our childrens rights. Serve a
filling meal to children on this Human Rights Day and help them to reach their
goal.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation