Motorola Foundation Supports Underprivileged Children through Akshaya Patra

Donation will provide buses for midday meal program

Bengaluru, INDIA - The Motorola Foundation has joined hands with the Akshaya Patra Foundation to support their vision that "no child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger" Through a donation from the Motorola Foundation, Akshaya Patra will receive two state-of-the art vehicles for transporting free midday meals to 5,000 school children per vehicle.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a leading organization that addresses two of the most immediate challenges facing India, hunger and education. Through its school lunch program, the organization feeds over one million underprivileged children everyday in government-run schools in India. These meals provide children with the incentive to come to school, stay in school and provides them with the necessary nutrients they need to develop their cognitive abilities to focus on learning.

“The Motorola Foundation strives to develop relationships with organizations such as Akshaya Patra that provide better education for children and social support for the underprivileged,” said Eileen Sweeney, director, Motorola Foundation. "We are proud to support programs that make a difference in people’s lives and in the communities where Motorola operates"

“We are grateful to the Motorola Foundation for helping us bring smiles to the faces of thousands of children,” said Madhu Pandit Dasa, chairman, Akshaya Patra Foundation. “With continued support from companies such as Motorola, we are confident we can bring the benefits of Akshaya Patra to more and more children in this country.”

Sudhakar Ramakrishna, corporate vice president, Wireless Broadband Access Solutions and Software Operations, Motorola Home & Networks Mobility presented the keys of the state-of-the-art vehicles to the chairman of the Akshaya Patra Foundation, at a kick-off event held in Bengaluru. By leveraging technology in cooking and delivery, Akshaya Patra has built a global reputation for efficiency and quality.

“Akshaya Patra should be commended for their generous initiatives in India,” said Ramakrishna. “Not only are they revitalizing India’s children, but also the local farmers, teachers and communities.”

About Akshaya Patra

Akshaya Patra is the largest NGO run school meal program around the world, focusing on issues like hunger and poverty by providing free nutritious meals in schools to encourage education among the underprivileged. The program uses centralized, automated kitchens for cooking food which is then distributed to schools through special purpose vehicles. For more information, please visit http://www.akshayapatra.org/

The program is independently governed by a Board of Trustees, an Advisory Panel consisting of professionals from the corporate world & bureaucracy, dedicated employees and a team of volunteers. A study in the year 2008 by AC Nielsen Org Marg, has vouchsafed for the efficacy of the program in increasing attendance in schools, improving nutritional status of these children, enhancing their learning abilities and reducing drop out rates.

All contributions to The Akshaya Patra Foundation are eligible for 100% tax deduction under section 35AC/80GGA (bb) of the Income Tax Act 1961 in India.

About Motorola Foundation

The Motorola Foundation is the charitable and philanthropic arm of Motorola. With employees located around the globe, Motorola seeks to benefit the communities where it operates. The company achieves this by making strategic grants, forging strong community partnerships, fostering innovation and engaging stakeholders. The Motorola Foundation focuses its funding on education, especially science, technology, engineering and math programming. For more information, on Motorola Corporate and Foundation giving, visit www.motorola.com/giving.

About Motorola

Motorola is known around the world for innovation in communications and is focused on advancing the way the world connects. From broadband communications infrastructure, enterprise mobility and public safety solutions to high-definition video and mobile devices, Motorola is leading the next wave of innovations that enable people, enterprises and governments to be more connected and more mobile. Motorola (NYSE: MOT) had sales of US $30.1 billion in 2008. For more information, please visit www.motorola.com.