Helping eradicate child malnutrition – the Mastercard way

Mastercard will channel all proceeds from the sale of these paintings to Akshaya Patra Foundation for feeding poor children.

New Delhi | Updated: 15 March, 2023 8:21 pm IST

Mastercard is the organiser of this year's Delhi Golf Course Open.

Global payments giant Mastercard has joined hands with the famous Delhi Street Art and non-profit Akshaya Patra Foundation, which implemented the ‘Mid-Day Meal’ scheme, to raise around ₹5 lakhs to feed underprivileged children.

Under this initiative, members of Delhi Street Art have painted on canvas the iconic Delhi Golf Course, which is hosting Asia’s top golfers for the DGC Open-2023.

Mastercard, which is organising the Open, has put up the paintings on display at two of its lunges at the golf course for national and international visitors to purchase them.

Speaking to The New Indian, Mastercard’s vice president & head of marketing and communications for South Asia, Manasi Narasimhan said that the company would channel the funds to the Akshaya Patra Foundation in a bid to support eradicating malnutrition amongst young children.

**Mastercard has organised an exhibition of paintings brought to life by talented artists of Delhi Street Art on the sidelines of DGC Open 2023.**

“Mastercard has put in a lot of effort to seamlessly amalgamate various passion points of the consumer, be it sports, art or culture and ensure giving back to the society in some way or the other. I believe adding the aspect of philanthropy to this mix is how we give it an edge, and it is our true responsibility to give back to the communities amongst whom we operate,” she said.

According to the UNICEF and the Global Health Database, around 33 per cent of Indian children are malnourished in the country and 66 million primary school children go to class hungry every day in the developing world.

“Classroom hunger affects not only children’s ability to learn but also their long-term health and well-being,” said Anant Arora, communication officer at the Akshaya Patra Foundation.

“The great thing about this initiative is that it only gives a platform to independent artists to showcase their distinctive style of art but also helps the noble cause of contributing towards the eradication of malnutrition,” said a visitor from Thailand.

Mastercard’s vice president & head of marketing and communications for South Asia, Manasi Narasimhan speaking to The New Indian.

Akshaya Patra is known for its work towards countering malnutrition and supporting the right to education of socio-economically disadvantaged children. Presently, Akshaya Patra runs the world’s largest non-profit mid-day meal programme, providing nourishing meals to over 2 million students at 22,367 schools in 15 Indian states and two union territories each school day.

Delhi Street Art, known for their street-style pieces, ranging from the famous murals at the Lodhi Art District to the recent ones at Sunder Nursery, will be taking over the sprawling greens of the DGC to capture the game of golf, and the historic monumental marvels on their canvases.

“Mastercard’s partnership with The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a powerful example of how businesses can use their resources to make a positive impact on society,” said the Akshaya Patra Foundation official.

He further said, “This collaboration is a reminder that no one can solve complex social problems alone, and that we all have a role to play in building a more equitable and sustainable world.”