A Spark of Hope - TPRF 's Food for People in India

Food for People Brings Hope to Villagers in India


June 13, 2007 - Just over a year ago, The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) inaugurated Food for People (FFP), an innovative food initiative, in a remote area of Jharkhand, in northeastern India, where tribal people have historically struggled just to survive from day to day. Situated on six acres of land, FFP is a newly constructed, impeccably clean 10,0000-square-foot facility, equipped with a large kitchen, separate storage and food preparation rooms, a spacious dining area, and modern sanitation facilities. During its first year of operation, FFP served over 150,000 hot, nutritious indigenous meals to children and adults.

Before this facility was built, children scrounged for grub worms and sought out the nests where rats store food for their young, snatching what they could for themselves. Many adults suffered from general weakness or illness and were unable to earn enough money to take care of their families. Children dropped out of school at a very early age to begin working in exchange for food. The population as a whole, generally overlooked by the efforts of larger charities, has been caught in a devastating cycle of poverty and disease, causing a high rate of infant mortality and short life expectancy.

What a difference one year has made. Gaining better health from regular nutritionally balanced hot meals, many previously unemployed adults have been able to get jobs in nearby villages and are now providing their family's evening meals at home.


The children are noticeably healthier as well. School attendance and children's ability to concentrate are both improving, and there is reason to expect that more young people will stay in school long enough to develop marketable skills, which will help them earn a better living. In time, they could be able to support their aging parents, as well as provide a better, more stable life for their own children. And equally important, people are beginning to feel hope that their lives can improve and that their children will have a future far better than the villagers have had for many generations.

Prem Rawat's vision is straightforward and simple: if food aid can be offered while respecting local customs and the individual's dignity, adults can then take steps to earn an income and children can be educated. Everyone can have the possibility of a more stable and healthy life. From the inception of this project, The Prem Rawat Foundation has involved the villagers in numerous ways and has consulted the village elders in the development and administration of Food for People, including meal planning that is based on the recipes of their traditional food.


People come to FFP from several villages within a ten- to thirty-minute walking distance. During the meals, educational TV programs are shown in their native Hindi language, introducing the children to the world beyond their village, showing people of different cultures, as well as animals and landscapes they have never even imagined existed. For many of the children and adults who visit FFP, this has been their first exposure to using modern toilets, washing their hands before eating, waiting in line for their turn to be served, and being able to count on a hot nutritious meal at least once a day, year-round.

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