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Washington, DC, January 4, 2007 —The Prem Rawat Foundation has joined forces with the United Nations World Food Programme to fight hunger and HIV/AIDS in Bihar, India.
The Foundation has made a significant contribution to the World Food Programme and the Nazareth Hospital Nutrition and HIV/AIDs Project, which started last month. The project aims to improve the nutrition and quality of life for people affected by HIV and AIDS and their family members through nutritional supplementation and nutritional counseling. The Prem Rawat Foundation’s contribution will provide one year of nutritional supplements for 750 people, one year of salary for project staff, as well as the necessary training, assessment, and survey materials.
Created by Prem Rawat, known widely as Maharaji, the Foundation often collaborates with the World Food Programme to help people in need enjoy the most basic physical necessities. The various food aid initiatives around the world have provided millions of free meals to people in need in Indonesia, Niger, Guatemala, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Côte d’Ivoire, the Philippines, and other countries.
In recognition of the Foundation’s contribution for the HIV/AIDS Project, Karen Sendelback, president and CEO of the Friends of the World Food Programme, said: “We are very grateful for the Foundation’s commitment in the fight against hunger. Thank you for the continued, dedicated support of The Prem Rawat Foundation for the life-saving work of the World Food Programme.”
Prem Rawat and the Foundation have launched a pioneering model of food aid called Food for People. The first facility was developed in consultation with village elders in the tribal area of Jharkhand, India. Each month year-round, 45,000 free hot meals are prepared and served to children and adults at a 10,000 square-foot custom-built facility. The facility employs 50 villagers, who grow some of the food on a 6-acre parcel of land. Food for People volunteers have trained these workers to operate the facility to high nutritional and hygienic standards.
The Foundation also sponsors free medical clinics in northern India. Volunteer ophthalmologists and optometristshave already provided more than 10,000 free medical consultations, offering medicine and prescription glasses to those in need.
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Photos courtesy of Karen Sendelback/Friends of WFP
Discover more about Prem Rawat, his message of hope and peace, and the humanitarian activities of The Prem Rawat Foundation
