Narasimha Das is on his way to feed 169,379 hungry children. Das is in charge of a kitchen in Vrindaban. The town is about a three-hour drive from India’s capital, New Delhi. Das gets to work at 3:00 a.m. Thirty workers are already working to make tens of thousands of rounds of bread. It will be brought to 1,516 schools in and around Vrindaban.
A Growing Problem
Going to school is difficult for more than 13 million children in India. They must go to work instead, or go hungry. That’s why India began the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, the largest school-lunch program in the world. A free lunch encourages children to come to school and gives them the energy they need for learning. The program began in the 1960s.
The kitchen in Vrindaban is run by the Akshaya Patra Foundation. It is one of the lunch program’s biggest partners. “Just $11.50 can feed one child for an entire year,” said Madhu Sridhar, president of the Akshaya Patra Foundation.
Lunch Is Served!
The Akshaya Patra food truck arrives at Gopalgarh Primary School. Since the program started, the number of underweight children has gone down. The children get foods they need — as long as they finish what’s on their plates.
小题1:The kitchen in Vrindaban supplies food to _____.
A．the poor
B．the old
C．college students
D．school children小题2:Why is it difficult for children to go to school in India?
A．Because there are not enough teachers.
B．Because there are not enough schools.
C．Because they have to work to make money.
D．Because their parents refuse to send them to school.小题3:Which of the following about the Mid-Day Meal Scheme is NOT true?
A．It is run by Narasimha Das.
B．It has been carried out for about 50 years.
C．It is to encourage children to go to school.
D．It is the largest school-lunch program in the world.
