Background

India presents a challenging contradiction; on one hand, it has overflowing granaries, and on the other, there are millions of empty stomachs to feed in the remote areas. We are producing enough food to feed far beyond the borders, yet the nation struggles with hunger at an unprecedented level. In terms of ranking, India stands at the 107th position among 121 countries, according to the 2022 Global Hunger Index, with a score of 29.1, trailing behind neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Of the affected, urban areas witness a particularly harsh reality, where financial hardship directly translates to empty plates.

We can evaluate the true scale of the crisis through metropolitan centres. From research conducted in Kolkata, one of India’s most populous metro cities, findings from slum communities reveal that over 84 percent of the households face varying levels of food insecurity, with over 32 percent experiencing mild challenges, 45 percent experiencing moderate difficulties, and over 6 percent suffering from severe shortages. What appears as percentages here are, in fact, countless families who go without proper meals and worry about whether they will be able to source the next day’s meals. Most families often tie themselves to monotonous diets and consume only what they can afford, ignoring the nutritional aspect needed for their growth and health. 

The root cause lies in the broken conduit between the abundance of crops and their supply to the needy. Large quantities of food rot in warehouses, resulting in the wastage of food that could have been used to feed underprivileged communities. Urban slums navigate through the daily obstacles of cramped living spaces that prevent bulk food storage, unpredictable work schedules that disrupt regular eating patterns, and a limited understanding of balanced nutrition, on top of which, the shortage of crops creates an overall bleak situation. All these issues together demand an intervention that can deliver both an immediate solution and lay the foundations for lasting change.

Nivaah was founded to address this growing concern of world hunger and impact a community residing in Kolkata. By adopting a multiprong approach that includes nutrition education, donation drives, and crowdfunding efforts, the initiative attempts to reverse the impact of hunger, one community at a time.