Words of Peace Global News
TPRF Gives $50,000 for Clean Water Initiative in Haiti[Tue, 16 Feb 2010]
As the weeks go by since the January 12 earthquake in Haiti, clean water and medical treatment continue to be crucial elements for survival. A grant of US$50,000 from The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) will help provide a two-week supply of bottled water for 42,000 people; distribute purification sachets to produce 13 million gallons of potable water to communities where none is available; and distribute oral rehydration solution and salts (ORS) to treat 125,000 children and adults at risk of severe dehydration and water-borne illnesses.
The AmeriCares Foundation, recipient of the grant, has developed a three-pronged initiative to address the water crisis during the acute phase of disaster response, six to eight weeks after the quake. As clean running water is scarce due to the breakdown of water mains, bottled water is being delivered to shelters, camps and medical facilities.
TPRF Grant Provides Eye Care for over 13,500 people in India
[Mon, 08 Feb 2010]
The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) gave US $25,000 to sponsor multi-day eye clinics in seven cities December 2009 through January 2010 that provided eye care free of charge to over 13,500 people in India.
Almost 10,000 people received prescription glasses, over 10,500 were given eye drops for infections, and more than 1,700 were diagnosed with cataracts and referred to hospitals for further treatment.
In 2007, the Health Ministry of India estimated that 1.1% of the population suffered from blindness, 80% of which was preventable. Yet millions are unable to receive the care that could preserve their eyesight.
Words of Peace Welcome at Columbus, Ohio Festival
[Thu, 04 Feb 2010]
“Let us come together in a show of solidarity with people around the world who seek peace, justice, and economic well-being for all of humanity.”
This was the main objective of last November’s “It’s Your World” Festival in Columbus, Ohio. Sponsored by the United Nations, the 54th Annual Columbus International Festival honored the unique traditions and perspectives of a variety of cultures. This event was an opportunity to celebrate and experience the beautiful diversity of our world and to expose attendees to a multitude of international traditions through crafts, performances, and cuisine.
Given its global appeal, it was an ideal forum for promoting initiatives of peace and understanding. For Denise Cartwright and a number of others who have been inspired by Prem Rawat, the two-day festival seemed like a unique opportunity to introduce others to his message of peace.
TPRF Provides Food for Earthquake Survivors in Haiti
[Fri, 22 Jan 2010]
Less than twenty-four hours after the Haiti earthquake, The Prem Rawat Foundation began an ongoing fundraising campaign to help the survivors. The response from all over the world was immediate and heartfelt.
Three days after the quake, the Foundation was able to make a grant of $50,000 to Friends of the World Food Program to help bring immediate aid to the survivors. Because the World Food Program (WFP) has long run a food-aid program in Haiti, they were in a position to begin food distribution in the first twenty-four hours of the crisis. See press release here.
This is just the beginning. TPRF is planning to provide ongoing essential aid as people in Haiti begin their long road to recovery. People all over the world are joining in — making donations by mail, through the TPRF Website, and via the Foundation’s custom campaign on Facebook. It is heartwarming to see the response from all those who support the Foundation’s efforts to help provide those in need with the essentials of life.
WFP Haiti photo credit: WFP/Alejandro Chicheri
Virtual Cooperation in South America
[Fri, 15 Jan 2010]
A group of more than 230 volunteers in Latin America has developed the project “EHDMI” in order to make DVDs and written material about Prem Rawat’s message easily available in Spanish via the Internet for the first time. The volunteers behind the project say that the objective of EHDMI (Equipo Hispano Distribución Materiales Introductorios) is to increase the availability of the message in all Spanish-speaking countries, even in small villages and remote areas.
At the end of 2009, such easy access to Spanish materials had already become a much–appreciated resource all over South America for volunteers wanting to host local introductory events.
On October 26, 2009, the inmates of the Anexo Chorrillos Penitentiary Center in Lima, Peru, were first introduced to Prem Rawat’s message. Since then, EHDMI has continued distributing DVDs and materials to the prison, and so far 117 people have been introduced to the message, and 12 inmates have requested the Keys.
Pakistani Refugees Grateful for TPRF Food Aid
[Thu, 14 Jan 2010]
The Prem Rawat Foundation gave a grant in August 2009 for food aid to families displaced by the internal conflict in the North West Frontier Province in Pakistan, one of the poorest areas in the country. The grant of US$30,000 provided food for one month to over 2,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who were forced to find a way to survive outside the overcrowded refugee camps.
Most of these were being hosted by strangers who had generously offered to take them in, but did so at the expense of their own family’s wellbeing. Soon both the IDPs and their host families had become vulnerable to the competition for severely limited resources. TPRF’s grant provided food packages containing rice, three kinds of legumes, tea, oil, and flour to over 700 families. TPRF’s partner, the Shirkat Gah Women’s Resource Centre handled need assessments, food purchases, and distribution, giving particular care to respect the dignity and special requirements of the recipients, most of whom were women and children.
Sri Lanka Refugees Grateful for TPRF Food Aid
[Thu, 07 Jan 2010]
In August 2009, The Prem Rawat Foundation responded to the plight of the growing number of people in Sri Lanka displaced by the civil war in the Northern Province, Bavuniya District. A gift of US$20,000 to the Jeeva Shakthi Society provided food aid to hundreds of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) living in hastily formed camps.
The upheaval is the result of the decades-long Sri Lanka Civil War between the government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), commonly known as the Tamil Tigers, who have fought for an independent homeland for the country's ethnic Tamil minority since 1983.
TPRF Aids Indonesian Earthquake Survivors
[Thu, 24 Dec 2009]
After two consecutive earthquakes struck the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) is providing immediate food aid to over 2,400 survivors in remote areas. TPRF is working with the Yayasan IDEP, a local non-profit organization, which reports that thousands of survivors in the Padang Pariaman area have not received “help whatsoever to date” and are “homeless and desperate for food and clean water.”
According to their reports, IDEP is targeting people in the outer vicinities who have been impacted not only by the earthquakes but also by massive landslides. The report stated: “Helicopters carrying food and medical supplies had been dispatched to the highland, but they are not carrying enough supplies to fulfill needs on the ground. The few that have received help to date have only been provided with some instant noodles, not nearly enough to help people survive. They have not had any proper food for more than a week now, and are getting weak and desperate for immediate assistance.”
Event in Mumbai, India
[Tue, 22 Dec 2009]
Maharaji concluded his November 2009 tour in India with an event in Mumbai, the state capital of Maharashtra and the commercial capital of India. A teeming port city on the west coast of India, Mumbai is the world’s second most populous city with approximately 14 million inhabitants. It is a major center of India's film industry, which is frequently referred to as Bollywood.
By the time word came that Maharaji had accepted their invitation, the people who had invited him had given up hope that he would come to Mumbai on this tour and were already planning for next year. So it was at once a wonderful surprise and an overwhelming challenge when they heard that he was coming within four days’ time.
Event in Nagaur, Rajasthan
[Fri, 18 Dec 2009]
Historic Merta City in the Nagaur district of the state of Rajasthan was the site of the third event in Maharaji’s recent tour in India. Founded in the fourteenth century, Merta is regarded by many as a holy city, the birthplace of Meera Bai, whose devotional songs are still sung today. Though it is a small city (population 40,000 in 2001), the literacy rate is higher than the national average. Yet over 16% of the people living there are under the age of six.
The event with Maharaji was held on open grounds opposite Government College. People from Merta City and nearby villages were surprised and excited that Maharaji was coming to their small city. By 10:00 AM, the area had begun to fill rapidly, men wearing Rajasthani turbans and ladies in colorful chunri saris. Besides local people, others came from adjoining districts: Ajmer, Bhilwara, Pali, Jodhpur, Ganga Nagar, Barmer, Hanumangarh and others. Soon over 3,500 had assembled on the grounds that had been prepared by volunteers in the previous three days.
(Last check for latest updates: 12 hr 50 min ago)courtesy: WOPG
