TPRF Funds Breakfast Program for Aboriginal Children in Taiwan

Press release

Los Angeles, February 7, 2008 — A grant from The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) will provide nutritious breakfasts for 530 aboriginal children attending 14 primary schools located on offshore islands and in remote mountain areas of Taiwan. The breakfast program, which needs to be renewed each year, is offered by the Taipei-based Eastern Culture Foundation (ECF) and their sister organization, the Eastern Charity Foundation.

Typically, aboriginal children in remote areas arrive at school feeling so hungry that some become faint before lunchtime. They are unable to concentrate, and their ability to learn is seriously undermined. Malnutrition and underachievement affect every aspect of life for these children and leaves them with little hope of improving their economic prospects as they grow older. Simply stated, hungry children cannot concentrate or learn new skills. For most aboriginal children in Taiwan, however, breakfast is a luxury that few can afford.
Mr. Lee, principal of Gu Feng, one of the participating elementary schools, reported that none of the aboriginal students attending his school were fed breakfast at home. Their first meal of the day is the government-supported lunch served at noon. In spite of their hunger, many children even save part of this meal for their dinner.

A-Chang, a third grader in Mr. Lee’s school, has fainted several times during morning assemblies. He suffers from long-term malnutrition, weighing only 24 kilograms (52 pounds), and his situation is by no means uncommon. Each morning, he gets up at daybreak to help his grandmother with household chores before beginning his long walk to school along a mountain road. From now on, he will be able to look forward to a nutritious hot breakfast before beginning classes. Providing a healthy breakfast for A-Chang and his classmates costs less than one US dollar per school day.

The program sponsored by TPRF will provide each student a breakfast consisting of bread, noodles or rice, along with other foods such as eggs, cheese and drinks. Schools will either hire helpers to prepare and serve the breakfasts or use a voucher system for the children to be fed at nearby breakfast restaurants.

The ancestors of Taiwanese aboriginals arrived in Taiwan from islands in the South Pacific approximately 8,000 years before the first Chinese. Since the major Chinese migration to Taiwan in the seventeenth century, they have experienced economic and military conflict with a series of conquering peoples, each one of whom became a threat to the preservation of their culture, languages and way of life.

Today, over a third of Taiwanese aboriginals are unemployed. While Taiwan was experiencing an economic boom during the latter part of the twentieth century, these tribal people lost more and more of the land they depended on for hunting and planting to developers. Many were forced to migrate to the cities where they suffer from social prejudice, language barriers and an inferior education. ECF provides the kind of assistance to rural aboriginals that will address the inequities between them and their peers in the cities. It is a major long-term undertaking, of which the breakfast program is only a part.

Kuo Shiang, Chang, CEO of ECF, says, “We hope this is the beginning of a long and productive relationship between ECF and TPRF. ECF expresses grateful appreciation to The Prem Rawat Foundation for joining ECF to accomplish this task together.” Since 2004, ECF has launched several successful projects to provide better nutrition and education to aboriginal children, as well as to enhance their culture. Their focus is on helping aboriginal people help themselves. The TPRF grant will enable them to continue their breakfast program in 2008, helping make it possible for more children to receive the education they need to become self-sufficient adults.

TPRF advances the internationally acclaimed message of peace of 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.

Discover more about Prem Rawat, his message of hope and peace, and the humanitarian activities of The Prem Rawat Foundation