CULTURE

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.
Yashvi Shah
6 April 2026

Illustration by Anugraha Mahesh

My favourite food is paneer bhurji because it is tasty and full of protein,” writes Alina in her notebook. Alina is a 14-year-old learner at Vidyun, a non-profit afterschool learning centre in Ahmedabad. “Whenever I eat it I feel like I am enjoying my life completely.” 

The children at Vidyun—all between the ages of 9 to 14 years—begin each evening, at around 5:30 pm, with a home-cooked meal provided at the centre, before they continue with hands-on, project-based learning: cooking new recipes, visiting museums, watching plays, organising open mics, group activities, and sharing circles.   

Learners at Vidyun, like 14-year-old Alina (left) and 9-year-old Khushi (right), learn how to read and write in English through their favourite foods.

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. “Malnourishment is a big challenge in our community,” says Devki Gandhi, one of the co-founders. “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.” 

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 surged from USD 900 million (2006) to USD 37.9 billion (2019), growing at over 33 percent annually.

While there are government schemes in place to address this issue—for instance, in Gujarat, over 40 lakh students in primary schools receive nutritious food under India’s Mid Day Meal (now PM-POSHAN) programme—many children are still rarely exposed to different kinds of food, and do not necessarily have a sense of what is considered healthy. Moreover, according to this government report, Gujarat identified 2.4 lakh adolescents dropping out of school in 2025–26, marking a 341 percent increase since 2024. 

So, how does one ensure that children have access to a well-rounded diet as they continue learning? Additionally, can food itself become a means of education? 

Devki along with Vishnu Satish—both Teach for India alumni—founded Vidyun in 2024 to address these questions. A crucial aspect is their Meals Programme, through which they provide evening snacks for around 40 children. The menu involves traditional Gujarati dishes like dal dhokli, khichdi, and muthiya; freshly made salads; and sweet-and-spicy chaat, and is decided by the students themselves based on what they learn, and then approved by Devki. 

Kamini Chavda, a member of the Rakhial community, then prepares the food in her home kitchen, and brings it to the centre where the children eat together, and oftentimes give her feedback. “If, say, I accidentally put less salt, the kids let me know, they’re not shy,” says Kamini.

Vidyun provides home-cooked Gujarati snacks to around 40 children every evening, as part of their Meals Programme (left). Kamini Chavda prepares these meals at her home kitchen in Rakhial, Ahmedabad, and brings them to the centre every day (right).

Meal time at Vidyun has now become synonymous with building connections and learning how to collaborate: children who did not know each other before joining the centre are now best friends; those who forget to bring a container or (empty) tiffin from home are immediately offered one to share by others.

“We also use this time [around half an hour] to read, and explore stories about the food we’re eating, its history, the science behind it, or new words that they’re learning from the story,” explains Devki. “The idea is to build connections, confidence, and literacy. We also provide ample support in terms of developing their critical thinking skills.” 

In order to help children develop technological skills, Vidyun provides them with equipment such as laptops (at present, they have two) so they can learn how to use platforms like Canva, as 14-year-old Dimple did to make this creative on pitha.

A cooking club is integral to the Meals Programme at Vidyun, where learners try out ingredients and recipes they are not typically exposed to, such as donut holes and mug cakes. “The kids get feedback on the recipe they’re trying out,” says Devki. “When they made donut holes, they went into the community and asked the locals to taste them.” 

The idea behind the cooking club is to help children develop a better awareness of nutrition. “Packaged food is a big concern in our community—the kids all survive on it,” explains Devki. Every time a learner tries out a healthy, well-balanced recipe (khichdi, for instance) they share it with others at the centre—sometimes in-person, and other times through photographs. The teachers then celebrate them by giving out stickers of stars. 

The cooking club has been a massive success: When planning for a Navratri showcase at the centre in September in 2025, the learners set up a food stall for which they decided the menu on their own. “The only constraint was that it [the food] had to be healthy,” recalls Devki. For an entire week, the children prepared food at home and brought it to the centre so they could collectively decide what would make the cut. “They made kesar milk one day, and got a full dabba of it for everyone—which is 40 people!”

After learning the recipe at Vidyun, Alvira made a chana salad (left) while Dimple made Assamese pithe (right) at home.

“Food is such an immersive way for our kids to learn. It has helped them develop research skills, learn how to measure, and read and write in English,” says Devki. “As all of us now take the responsibility of cooking healthier at home, it has opened up a new possibility for the kids—to ask questions, learn more about India’s culture, and break gender stereotypes.”

Can Food be A Means of Education?

I spoke to five learners at Vidyun about their favourite foods, cooking, and what they’ve learned so far. My conversation with Harshita, Lucky, Prem, Prince, and Vaishnavi took place over video calls, and was facilitated by Devki. For each question I asked, they responded with an excited surety that only adolescents possess. 

Towards the end of our conversation, they flipped the script and asked me about my favourite food. And while my responses were not as interesting, one thing became apparent: eating together at the centre, learning math and science through recipes, and gaining exposure to different ingredients has helped the learners become confident, and gain analytical and practical skills that can only be acquired through food.

Here is what children at Vidyun like to eat, the flavours they prefer, and the textures they don’t: 

Lucky, 14 

I love sweets and desserts like cake, gulab jamun, and rasgulla. My favourite savoury dish is bhel because of its crispy texture. But when I’m sick, I get tired very easily so I don’t like to chew, and prefer to eat soft things like dal-rice. Earlier, I didn’t know how to cook at all but now, after learning recipes and attending cooking workshops at Vidyun, I make bhel, sandwiches, and even poha at home. 

Vaishnavi, 14 

At home, I love when my mother fries potatoes and fills them into pav, and at the centre, like Lucky, my favourite food is bhel. I love that it is both sweet and spicy. My brother and I also love coconut laddoos. Once, after tasting them at the centre, I tried to make them at home but I burnt the filling. Even though it was slightly burned, it tasted nice. 

Prince, 12 

My favourite dish at Vidyun is chana chaat because it is the perfect mix of sweet and sour. Meal time is also my favourite part of the day because I eat with all my friends. We don’t get to do masti when studying or at school, but we can (and do) when we eat together. 

Prem, 14 

The first time I ate poha at Vidyun, my face lit up. It was so different from what I was used to eating at home. At home, poha is made using many different ingredients, including curry leaves. I don’t like its flavour, and they are time-consuming to remove from the plate. Here, the taste is exactly how I like it. 

Harshita, 12

Today I ate dal dhokli at the learning centre. It was excellent, but my favourite dish to eat here is khichdi because it is both tasty and healthy. When it comes to meals, I love the combination of sour and spicy flavours. I also love fruits, especially the sweet ones such as strawberries, water chestnuts, and bananas. 

“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.”

Founded in 2014 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. 

Yashvi Shah is the Senior Partnerships Copywriter at The Locavore. In her free time, she likes creating playlists for her friends, and going on runs.