LOS ANGELES, Aug. 4, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In
the wake of this spring's devastating earthquakes in Nepal, The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) is
expanding its long-term Food for People (FFP) program to double the
amount of children who are served nutritious daily meals.
Approximately 1,600 children per week will now benefit from the
food aid, as meals are delivered from the FFP kitchen facility in
Tasarpu to a pair of surrounding schools in the mountains. The move
to expand the program comes at the request of officials at the
Mahakali Secondary School and Liding-Mahakali Secondary School.
Both school buildings and nearly all the homes in neighboring
villages were damaged by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake on
April 25 and subsequent
aftershocks.
TPRF provided metal roofing sheets to help repair the school
buildings, but even after the classrooms re-opened, student
attendance was down as local children struggled to find a bite to
eat. Some kids from the schools were exhausting themselves by
trudging approximately three hours a day from their homes so they
could eat at the FFP kitchen in Tasarpu, making it nearly
impossible to focus on their studies. Without the expanded food aid
program, "50 percent of students would discontinue coming to
class," estimates Om Prasad Sapkota, Headmaster of Liti-Mahakal
School.
Before committing to providing long-term meals, TPRF worked with
its partner on the ground, Premsagar Foundation Nepal, to conduct a
trial program at Liti-Mahakal, resulting in great success. Before
the earthquake, enrollment at the school was 365 students, which
quickly dropped amid the tremors. During the recent trial program,
enrollment immediately increased to 384 — exceeding even the
pre-quake numbers.
The rise in attendance is consistent with the long-term trends
at Adarsha School, which is located almost adjacent to the FFP
kitchen in Tasarpu. Since the kitchen started serving daily meals
to Tasarpu children in 2009, enrollment at Adarsha School has more
than doubled, test scores are up, and health has improved.
Approximately 800 students eat at the facility each week, as well
as dozens of infirm adults.
Building off of that success, meals for an additional 800
children will now be prepared at the modern FFP kitchen facility,
then safely delivered in hygienic containers to students at
Liti-Mahakal and Mahakali schools each afternoon of the five-day
school week. The meals will consist of nutritious native cuisines
such as rice, dalmoth (a dry snack made of lentils, nuts, and
spices), vegetables, and beans, although some liquid dishes
normally served at the FFP kitchen will not be provided due to
transportation difficulties.
Empowered by the support of people from around the world who
donate to TPRF, the charity's Board of Directors has committed to
spending $50,000 per year for the
next three years to expand the FFP program in Nepal.
TPRF also continues to work with local leaders and its partners
on the ground to assess ongoing earthquake relief needs. Watch a
new video to learn more about the relief effort here.
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SOURCE The Prem Rawat Foundation