Tsunami Food Assistance Project

January 21, 2005

Thank you for taking time to speak with us. $120,000 has been donated to the Foundation in the last three weeks for tsunami victims. Can you explain such a high amount when this is the first humanitarian fundraising effort by TPRF?

First and foremost, our hearts go out to the victims and their families. The reason for such a response from the public is the enormity of the disaster and human suffering. People’s hearts are touched as they hear the cry for help. Many donations arrive with a note from people saying they wanted to help but were looking for an organization they could trust. We realize that by donating to TPRF, contributors are trusting the Foundation and Prem Rawat, whose message of peace the Foundation makes available, to ensure that their donations will count. We take that trust very seriously.

Where is TPRF focusing their relief efforts?

TPRF is currently focusing on helping people in Kalmunai, a small city in Sri Lanka, where many have lost their immediate family, home, and belongings. More than 8,500 people have perished there, and over 32,000 homes were completely destroyed. We are working with the Jeeva Shakti Society, Ltd., a reputable Sri Lankan nonprofit organization authorized to receive foreign aid and disburse it as required. This organization will serve as TPRF’s correspondent in the area.

What specific aid is TPRF providing?

We asked the people in Kalmunai what they would like, and they said they wanted fresh and cooked food. We have sent financial aid to the Jeeva Shakti Society in Sri Lanka, and it has already been converted into food supplies that are now reaching the people most in need in Kalmunai. We are distributing fresh raw food as well as cooked food seven days a week. For the first time since the tsunami, the people we reach in Kalmunai have a reliable supply of food they can count on each day. It is heartwarming to see that the aid, so generously sent to TPRF by people from around the world, is now reaching tsunami victims directly and serving their needs.

You mentioned that TPRF has been assessing the best way to bring proper relief to the tsunami victims. What have you learned?

The scale of the need is enormous, and different organizations will play different roles in addressing the ongoing needs. We have learned that there are unique organizational and logistical capabilities that have been developed over the years by people wanting to support Maharaji’s efforts. Our commitment is to use the human and financial resources available to us in such a way that they will reach the people for whom they are intended without waste.

What are some of these special capabilities?

For more than twenty years, volunteers with an appreciation for Maharaji’s message have provided food, lodging, and medical assistance for several days in a row for up to 100,000 people who come to hear Maharaji. They have become expert in preparing and serving nutritious, healthy food with great efficiency and high sanitary standards to large numbers of people. They have mastered the skill of setting up tent cities with basic amenities—including toilets, showers, and medical clinics—to accommodate up to 100,000 people on very short notice. Because of their purchasing power, they are able to obtain greatly discounted prices for food and other supplies. These capabilities are proving to be tremendously useful for helping victims of natural disasters.

What will you do to ensure that the donations reach the people?

We have reputable correspondents in the field who help us match our resources with the type of aid really needed and who follow through to be sure the aid reaches the intended people. We make sure that whatever entity we work with at the receiving end has high standards of transparency and reporting. They are required to account for the use of every dollar received. TPRF is a recognized public charity and abides by the highest standards of reporting and transparency. Its accounts are audited each year. People’s contributions to TPRF do reach people in need in a transparent and efficient manner.

What standard of reporting does TPRF promise to donors?

We see it as essential to issue periodic bulletins on the cumulative totals of amounts received and disbursed, with information on the purposes served and locations covered. Duly audited accounts of receipts and expenditures, with an accompanying report on the highlights of our efforts, will be published at the close of each financial year until the donations are fully utilized.

Are you aware of other sources of aid resulting from Maharaji’s inspiration directed towards tsunami victims?

Raj Vidya Kender (RVK), the organization that promotes Maharaji’s message throughout the Indian subcontinent, has been using its own funds to focus on immediate, short-term relief. RVK has concentrated its efforts in two coastal villages with 800 families in Tamil Nadu, an area in South India hit hard by the tsunami. RVK has been providing the villagers with clothing, cooking utensils, and food supplies. It plans to continue providing aid for several months with its own funds until the villages become self-sufficient again.

Does TPRF have other plans to use the donations, in addition to providing the people of Kalmunai with food?

Some other plans are being developed to reach the people in Indonesia who have been hit so hard. We will provide another update soon.