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.

“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.

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

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.