Varanasi expansion

Growing with every lesson

Our journey in Varanasi began with a simple step: providing fruits and ragi ladoos to children at Anganwadis in Benipur. It was a small beginning, but it taught us a great deal about the communities we were working with, the centers that served them and the nutritional needs of their children.

Over time, we saw an opportunity to do more. Instead of supplementing children's diets, we could help make nutritious food a more consistent part of their day. That learning shaped the next chapter of our work in Varanasi.

From supplementary nutrition to daily meals

In January 2025, we began serving freshly cooked breakfast and lunch across 36 Anganwadis in Benipur. Prepared every morning in our central kitchen, these meals brought greater variety and nourishment to children's everyday diets. More importantly, they marked a shift towards providing complete, freshly cooked meals consistently.

By August 2025, the program had expanded to 41 additional Anganwadis in Arajiline, reaching another 1,759 children. What began as a small nutrition initiative in Benipur was growing into a daily meal program across more communities in Rural Varanasi.

Understanding the impact beyond meals

As our reach grew, so did our responsibility to understand whether our efforts were making a difference. Serving meals was one part of the picture. We also wanted to know how regularly children were attending their centers and how their health was changing over time.

In August 2025, we introduced Facial Recognition Attendance Technology (FRAT) in nine Anganwadis in Benipur. This helped us record attendance more accurately and understand how consistently children were coming to their centers.

We also began tracking children's growth. In partnership with Healium, we monitored their height, weight and MUAC (mid upper arm circumference) over time, looking for indicators of stunting, wasting and being underweight. In February 2026, these records were brought together in our app, giving us a more complete view of each child's nutritional status and growth.

These insights help us look beyond the meals served to understand where children are progressing, where challenges remain and how we can respond better to their needs.

Bringing the program to urban Varanasi

The experience gained in Benipur and Arajiline prepared us for another step forward. In February 2026, we expanded into 119 Anganwadis in urban Varanasi, beginning with one freshly cooked meal a day and introducing our new menu.

Starting with one meal gives us the opportunity to understand the needs of children in urban Anganwadis, learn from their experiences and strengthen our approach before expanding further. Each community has its own needs, and listening carefully helps us build a program that works for the children it serves.

A journey of learning and growing

From fruits and ragi ladoos in Benipur to daily meals across rural and urban Varanasi, our journey has grown one step at a time. Each phase has brought new lessons: about children's food preferences, the logistics of delivering meals every day, and the importance of tracking attendance and health alongside nutrition.

We have learnt that nourishing children is not just about what reaches their plates. It is also about consistency, care and understanding what each child needs to grow well. There is still more to learn, and more to improve as the program expands. But every lesson helps us move forward with greater understanding and purpose, bringing us closer to a future where nutritious meals become a consistent part of more children's lives.