The Prem Rawat Foundation: Five Years of Giving
 
It is now five years since the inception of The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF). Inspire interviewed its president, Linda Pascotto, to learn about the Foundation's humanitarian outreach.

Why was TPRF created?
Maharaji told me that when he was a child, if people were hungry and knocked on the door of his house any time of day or night, they would get something good to eat. He’s often expressed what it’s like to see the face of somebody who was hungry and then just had a good meal, what a wonderful feeling to know that you can help in that way. In addition to making his message of peace available to people around the world, he saw the possibility to help people most in need while preserving their dignity—helping them meet basic needs: food and water.

What are the most significant humanitarian achievements of TPRF?
TPRF has been quick to respond to people whose lives have been devastated by natural disasters. We have recently seen catastrophes of unprecedented magnitude: earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, mudslides, and more. The Foundation has delivered aid to people in need rapidly and efficiently. To do that, we developed relationships with some of the best humanitarian organizations with a strong presence in the field: the World Food Programme, the Red Cross, Houston Food Bank, and Oxfam. These partnerships have been very successful.

Our relationship with the World Food Programme, for example, 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; and 6,000 earthquake victims in Pakistan. Through the Red Cross, the Foundation was able to provide continuing food aid to mudslide victims in the eastern Philippines, and more recently through Oxfam, we are helping to provide water and hygiene kits to people in Lebanon and Israel affected by the bombing in those areas. Through the Houston Food Bank, we provided three meals a day for three months to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

TPRF has also developed a facility for bringing food aid to people suffering from chronic malnutrition?
Yes. In a tribal area in northeastern India, we have launched the first "Food For People" facility in March of this year, which provides over 45,000 hot nutritious meals and clean drinking water to the villagers each month.  

How did "Food for People" come to life?
A few years ago when Maharaji flew into that area of India to do an event, all the children came running to see the helicopter. These children had no hope of getting anywhere because they couldn’t even get a decent meal. They were supplementing their meager diet by eating bugs and grasshoppers, whatever they could find. Maharaji wanted to do something to help them—something in a very dignified manner. He envisioned a permanent facility, where all the aid provided would go directly to the people in the form of nutritious hot meals of their liking, and where the people would actively be involved in learning how to run the facility.

When did this facility open?
I was fortunate to be able to attend the inauguration last March. It was a very exciting day. Village elders, adults, and children of all ages were there, excited that the first Food For People facility was going to be opened in their village.

Dr. Kamal Chand Singhal represented the World Health Organization at the inauguration and said, "The healthy food and clean drinking water provided each day by Prem Rawat’s Foundation at this impressive facility will help many children and adults in Jharkhand become less vulnerable to disease and death, and go on to live healthy and productive lives. This is a noble and generous initiative, for which Prem Rawat and his Foundation need to be acknowledged and wholeheartedly thanked.”

After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the first meal was served to the children, and their eyes grew big and wide when they saw the delicious food. My serving of food was too large for me, but not for the 5-year-old I offered it to. In no time, the plate was clean!

How does Food for People work?
Fifty villagers have been trained to operate the facility to the highest standards of nutrition and hygiene. Some of the food is grown on the six-acre property and the rest is funded by contributions to the Foundation. Each day, two hot meals are served to the village children and one to the adults. 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.

We are now working to expand the program to include agricultural education on techniques to improve crop production with an eye to helping make the community self-sufficient.

How has the facility been received by the local villagers?
From the very beginning, the village elders have been involved in the planning of meals and in the decisions of what crops to grow, and they are proud that the first Food for People facility was 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. The children are thriving and, according to their parents and teachers, are attending school more regularly and are generally healthier.

Are you planning to expand open similar facilities in other areas?
Yes, we would like to open a facility in Nepal and another one in India. Nepal is the poorest country in Asia and one of the poorest in the world, with half its population living below the poverty line. One third of the population does not have access to clean water. Half of the children are malnourished and half of the adults are unemployed. Only 15% have access to health care. Poverty in Nepal has been on the increase since the ‘70s, mostly in rural areas. So that is a place where we would very much like to introduce Food for People.

What will it take to open new Food for People facilities?
First, we select potential locations where there is a need and interest. We engage in meetings and planning with the local people, which takes time. Then, enough land needs to be acquired to accommodate the facility itself and to grow the crops. The facility then needs to be built and equipped. It takes a lot of preparation and planning to create a sustainable program that will provide meals for the children and adults of the community throughout the year. The costs are substantial, but vary by location. We are already starting a fund for these projects so that we will be able to proceed once good locations have been identified. 

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. Most of the older people need what we would call "reading" glasses, but what they call "close-up glasses" since many of them can’t read. Special prescriptions are made up overnight as needed. At each clinic, about 2,000 people are examined, with over 75% of them needing glasses.

While blindness is widespread in India, most of it is preventable, and TPRF is treating people's eyes with simple medications and corrective lenses, while helping to educate them on how to take care of their eyes.

TPRF is also providing clean drinking water in Ghana?
This year, TPRF partnered with the United Nations 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 will be installed, allowing villagers to get clean underground water nearby, instead of having to walk miles for contaminated river water. The inauguration for the first of these wells is planned for 2007.

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 with funding its projects, planning for future activities, and responding 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 that the Foundation is making a difference and anticipate that 2007 will continue the successful work begun by Maharaji and TPRF.

If you would like to help TPRF continue its efforts to provide essential support with dignity to people in need, visit our "Giving" page.

How does TPRF let people know what is happening with projects?
We communicate on a regular basis to people who are interested in keeping abreast of the Foundation's projects and activities. If you would like to be included in our mailings, you can provide your postal address.

Discover more about Prem Rawat, his message of hope and peace, and The Prem Rawat Foundation's humanitarian initiatives