indica News Bureau-
With the condition of poor people worsening day by day due to the complete lockdown in India, several non-profit organizations and social groups have come forward to give food to the people of the low-income group like daily wage workers and those students whose livelihood is based on mid-day meals in school.
Freedom English Academy (FEA) is one such NGO that has been feeding the low-income group for the last 10 years and has also risen to the occasion to help them during the lockdown.
Deepak Chopra, founder of FEA told indica, “During this crisis, it is very important to make sure that people have enough to eat. We have been operating kitchens in Delhi for the past ten years and temporarily scaling up.”
He said FEA has been providing free one-pot meals in Delhi through five kitchens.
“We’ve set up these mobile kitchens in low-income areas and provide rice, daal, and vegetables. The recipe is the same every day, the logic being that only the needy will come for the same free food. We have served more than 1,000 people every day over the last decade” Chopra said.
To cater to a large number of homeless, underprivileged and low-income families, the NGO is scaling up its operation for the COVID-19 emergency, “We are seeking to scale up our operations through the lockdown period until the economy recovers. Since people are not supposed to move around just now, we go to them by setting up micro-kitchens in low-income urban communities,” he said.
According to the press note, FEA is also seeking volunteers to make donations to purchase rice, flour, and vegetables for the same.
“We are generally able to find local volunteers and have no administrative overheads. Your donation will go exclusively to purchasing food and cooking gas. Your donation will be used to provide meals to needy people. If there are any extra donations, we will continue to provide extra meals in Delhi and surrounding areas until the funds are used up,” the press note said.
Giving an estimate of the expense, the Chopra said that it costs around $25 to feed 100 people, so even small donations go a long way.
“Donations are tax-deductible in the US. We have FCRA clearance in India and only set up these mini-kitchens after taking permission from local government officials. We do our best to observe social distancing guidelines as well,” the press release further added.
About Freedom English Academy
Founded in 2010, FEA to low-income urban youth provides free 100 minute classes that are designed to help students acquire white-collar professions. Students learn English, computer skills, and personality development over the course of one year. FEA has more than 30,000 students and 110+ branches spread across cities in Northern India. FEA is not affiliated with any government, political party, business interest, or religious cause. It is one of the largest educational NGOs operating in India.
