FUNDRAISER
Support Vidyun to Provide Well-rounded Nutritious Meals to 100 Children
At this afterschool centre in Ahmedabad, food is an immersive part of the learning experience—helping children build connections, think critically, and engage with the world in deeper, more meaningful ways. Help us sustain Vidyun’s Meal Programme, which will provide 100 children with nourishing meals for the academic year of 2026–27.
Team Locavore
15 April 2026
Illustration by Anugraha Mahesh
Update: In order to sustain the Meals Programme, Vidyun is hoping to raise ₹6,00,000. We committed to help them meet half of the amount: ₹3,00,000. But since launching the fundraiser on the 15th of April, we’ve already reached ₹2,30,801, which is 77 percent of the goal. With this in mind, we’re raising our goal to ₹6,00,000—please consider supporting the initiative.
Founded in 2014 by Devki Gandhi and Vishnu Satish—two Teach for India alumni—Vidyun is a not-for-profit afterschool learning centre in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. They provide project-based education to children, aged between 9 to 14 years from the Rakhial neighbourhood, who attend the centre for free. Learning at the centre takes various forms: cooking new recipes, visiting museums, watching plays, organising open mics, group activities, and sharing circles. Their goal is to help students develop critical thinking, creativity, and leadership skills for the 21st century.
Diet Affects Children’s Ability to Learn
The founders at Vidyun believe that balanced nutrition is a cornerstone of development, and a lack of a well-rounded diet affects concentration and learning capacity in those who are food-insecure.
Across India, ultra-processed and packaged foods—typically high in fat, sugar, and salt—are increasingly replacing fruits, vegetables, and traditional diets. As found in this report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the consumption of ultra-processed food in India surged from USD 900 million (2006) to USD 37.9 billion (2019), growing at over 33 percent annually. As Devki points out, this has also become a big challenge in Rakhial, especially amidst adolescents:
“When we see our kids, who are in the seventh grade, and compare them with others from different communities in the same grade, there’s a huge difference in their height or how they’re growing. All of this comes back to the food that they’re getting.
Vidyun’s Meal Programme
To address this challenge, Vidyun provides nutritious evening snacks, as part of their Meals Programme, to around 40 children (at present). The menu typically includes home-cooked Gujarati dishes such as dal dhokli, khichdi, and muthiya; freshly made salads and fruits; or sweet-and-spicy chaat prepared by Kamini Chavda, a member of the Rakhial community, in her home kitchen.
Meal time at Vidyun—which typically starts at 5:30 pm, and lasts for around an hour— features dishes like corn salad (left) or various fresh fruits (right).
How Can You Help?
In order to sustain the Meal Programme for the academic year of 2026–27, Vidyun is hoping to raise INR 6 lakhs. We invite you to donate to the cause here. These funds will help feed 100 children, source high-quality ingredients, and fairly compensate the cook.
Here’s a glimpse of what your donation, big or small, will cover:
About Vidyun’s Founders
Devki Gandhi and Vishnu Satish are Teach for India alumni who founded Vidyun in 2024. They’ve both been working in the education sector for the last five years.
Devki, who loves to cook, read, and travel, believes that in order to create safe, joyful learning spaces it is important for education to be holistic, with a focus on leadership. Similarly, Vishnu is a strong advocate for spaces where students can drive their own learning. He also has a background in coding, which he tries to bring into Vidyun’s curriculum so students can develop technological skills.
More About Vidyun
Making Well-rounded Nutrition Exciting at an Afterschool Centre in Ahmedabad
At Vidyun, an afterschool centre with a robust meals programme, children are learning about nutrition, science, and food history along with their evening snacks.
Founded in 2024 by Devki Gandhi and Vishnu Satish, Vidyun is a not-for-profit afterschool learning centre in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. With their Meal Programme, they provide nutritious evening snacks to more than 40 children, who attend the centre for free. Help them sustain this programme for the academic year 2026–27—donate here.
