Los Angeles, November 15, 2007 — The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) has made a significant donation to the Indonesian Development of Education and Permaculture (Yayasan IDEP) Foundation to assist more than 2,000 people displaced by the Sumatra earthquake in districts north of Bengkulu in West Sumatra, Indonesia.

Yayasan IDEP Executive Director Petra Schneider said the grant will help fund rescue efforts and relief through the distribution of fresh water and nutritious food, as well as the re-establishment of local water supplies.

The disastrous conditions were brought about when an earthquake measuring 8.4 on the Richter scale struck the island of Sumatra early in the morning on September 12. The earthquake's epicenter was just 100 kilometers off the coast, and more than 40 aftershocks measuring between 4.9 and 7.9 have been recorded since.

The tremors prompted several tsunami warnings, increasing panic in areas where people live in fear of a reoccurrence of the tsunami tragedy of December 2004. Schneider said many people are still afraid to return to their residences; many others simply have nowhere to take shelter because their houses were totally destroyed.

"People are continuing to flock to our camps," she said. "The needs of people have not come even close to being covered. Thanks so much. We really do need your help."

Yayasan IDEP and their partner organization, Yayasan BAHARI's Emergency Response Team, have been conducting search-and-rescue operations in damaged and destroyed buildings since the disaster struck, but some isolated areas have still not been reached.

Schneider said the TPRF funds are being used to cover the costs of giving as many victims as possible three solid meals a day and to supply special provisions for children, pregnant and lactating women, and the elderly. In addition, trucks are delivering more than 4,000 liters of fresh water three times a day to remote areas while work continues to install pulleys and buckets to make about 300 wells in the area operational again.

"Through TPRF's support, Yayasan IDEP has been able to assist people in need when they need help the most," she said, "We cannot begin to express the depth of our gratitude for this excellent working partnership that to date has resulted in relief to thousands of Indonesians."

Yayasan IDEP is a nonprofit established in Bali in 1999 at the height of the country's economic crisis to respond to urgent needs for sustainable food production and resource management. In the Balinese language, "IDEP" refers to the human ability to plan and think critically.

The Prem Rawat Foundation advances the internationally acclaimed message of peace made available by Prem Rawat, known also as Maharaji. In addition, it helps provide the necessities of life for people most in need. The foundation often partners with other humanitarian organizations to bring food, water and disaster relief rapidly where it is most required. Of particular interest is helping people not served by initiatives that focus on larger populations.

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