The 8.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Chile in late February has left 80% of the people of Rio Claro homeless and without stores of food for the winter. Even as high-magnitude aftershocks continue, many are facing the cold Andes winter with only makeshift shelter and no stock of provisions. The grant from The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) will provide a month’s supply of food for 1,000 people most in need.

Senior adults, pregnant women, and children are particularly at risk in this town, which relies on seasonal work growing crops. The earthquake not only crumbled homes beyond repair, but disrupted water supplies, causing many crops to fail just prior to harvest time. Fundación Origen, the Chilean charity receiving the grant, is focusing on providing food for the most vulnerable population through the winter months. Providing food is considered to be the most effective way of relieving people’s suffering in the area, since most other aid is dedicated to rebuilding.

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.

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.

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

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