Can you give us an overview of the humanitarian activities of TPRF?
The Foundation has delivered aid rapidly and efficiently in many countries to people whose lives had been devastated by natural disasters. We have relationships with the best humanitarian organizations with a strong presence in the field: Friends of the World Food Program, the Red Cross, the Houston Food Bank, Action Against Hunger, and Oxfam, among others. These partnerships are very successful. Our relationship with Friends of the World Food Program has enabled TPRF to provide food for one month to 9,000 Indonesian tsunami victims; 2,000 famine victims in Niger; 4,500 school children in Guatemala; 6,000 earthquake victims in Pakistan; and thousands of earthquake victims in Peru. Through the Red Cross, the Foundation provided food aid to mudslide victims in the Philippines, and through Oxfam, we helped to provide drinking water to war victims in Lebanon and Israel. Through the Houston Food Bank, we provided three meals a day for three months to 8,000 victims of Hurricane Katrina.
How did the “Food for People” initiative come to life?
In a tribal area in northeastern India, we have a facility called "Food For People," which provides 100,000 hot nutritious meals and clean drinking water to villagers each year. A few years ago when Prem Rawat flew into that area, he saw that the children were surviving by eating bugs and grasshoppers. He envisioned a permanent facility, where children and adults in need would get nutritious hot meals of their liking and would actively be involved in running the facility. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the first meal was served to the children, and their eyes grew big when they saw the delicious food. My plate of food was too large for me, but not for the five-year-old I offered it to. In no time, the plate was clean!
How does “Food for People” work?
Some of the food is grown on the six-acre property, and the rest is funded by contributions to the Foundation. Fifty villagers have been trained to operate the facility to the highest standards of nutrition and hygiene. For the first time, when the villagers wake up in the morning, they are assured of having a hot meal and can focus on caring for their families.
How has the facility been received by the local villagers?
From the very beginning, the elders have been involved in the planning of meals and in the decisions of what crops to grow, and they are proud that this facility opened in their area. On the day of the opening, the entire village showed up with great excitement, pride, and anticipation of eating a delicious meal.
What have been the results so far?
The children are thriving. They are growing taller, stronger, and healthier. Many adults who were too weak to work have found jobs and started supporting their families. Teenagers who had to work to feed themselves have gone back to school. And, according to parents and teachers, the performance of children at school has increased a great deal.
TPRF has also been providing eye care to people in need?
The Foundation regularly holds free medical clinics in India. Volunteer eye-care professionals come at appointed times about once a year in each location. They examine people's eyes and dispense the most commonly needed prescriptions immediately. Special prescriptions are made up overnight as needed. At each clinic, about 2,000 people are examined, with 75% of them needing glasses. While blindness is widespread in India, most of it is preventable, and TPRF is educating people on how to take care of their eyes as well as treating their eyes with simple medications and corrective lenses.
TPRF is also providing clean drinking water in Ghana?
TPRF has partnered with the UN Development Programme and the National Council for Women in the United States to provide clean drinking water and sanitation for thousands of people in villages in Ghana. New water tanks with modern pumps have been installed, allowing more than 30,000 villagers to get clean underground water where they live, instead of having to walk miles for contaminated river water.
How can people help?
People can help by participating financially in TPRF. Many people give a small sum on a regular basis, which helps TPRF fund its projects, plan for future activities, and respond immediately to natural disasters. A large number of regular small gifts are as helpful as a few larger ones. TPRF works hard to identify reputable organizations to partner with, to maximize the use of each contribution given, and to ensure that the funds go directly to the people in need. It is largely because of this and the integrity of each project that people trust the Foundation with their charitable contributions. We see that the Foundation is making a difference and anticipate that next year will continue the successful work begun by Prem Rawat.
