Born to Iqbal Mia, a mason and Farzana Mia, a housewife, Anjumal Iqbal Mia is a student of 7th grade at Itadra- 1 primary school near Majid, Gujarat. She’s been a part of the mid-day meal program run by the Akshaya Patra foundation for the last 12 years, an initiative that has greatly impacted her life. In her early days of schooling, Anjumal struggled to keep up with her studies and had poor attendance due to poor nutrition in her diet which resulted in a lack of energy and focus. However, as she began to have regular access to nutritious meals through Akshaya Patra’s program, her condition began to improve. Gradually, we noticed that Anjumal gained weight and started enjoying the process of learning. Now Anjumal is an active student, she loves spending time with her friends at school and her favorite food is Dal dhokli and zeera rice, the meals provided by Akshaya Patra. Her teachers are her source of inspiration and she takes part in various sports and essay-writing competitions. Akshaya Patra’s mid-day meal program not only improves the nutritional status of children like Anjumal, but it also gives children like her the energy and focuses to excel in their studies, encouraging them to stay in school and complete their education.