The Prem Rawat Foundation

TPRF has two main focuses: The Foundation's primary purpose is to promote world peace by helping individuals find personal peace in their lives. The Foundation pursues that goal through its Peace Education Program, which is active in 40 countries and by sponsoring forums for leaders of governments, industry, education, and other sectors of society to explore the possibility of peace.

The Peace Education program is a curriculum for discovering personal peace designed for use in a wide variety of settings: education (high schools, colleges, and adult education), community groups, health and wellness, corrections, rehab centers, senior centers, and homeless populations, etc.

TPRF's second purpose is to develop model programs for people caught in a downward cycle of poverty that provide a means for them to shift out of that cycle and build a different future for their children and grandchildren. To this end, the Foundation has developed the Food for People program (FFP), now operational in Bantoli, India; Tasarpu, Nepal; and Otinibi, Ghana.

FOOD FOR PEOPLE (FFP): The strategy is to continue to provide other support for student success and community prosperity as suits each area. For instance, after the Nepal facility neared its serving capacity in 2017, it began a program to deliver meals to eight area schools too far from the facility for students to walk to it. That program served over 166,000 meals in the first six months of 2021. Currently both the Nepal and India facilities are closed due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Each facility has offered educational opportunities to their constituents. In late 2017, TPRF sponsored computer labs and computer education in six schools in Nepal, with 18 computers per school. A computer lab has also been set up at the India FFP. This innovation offers students the opportunity to develop the essential skills they will need as they go on to higher levels of education. In 2019, the FFP in India added sewing classes for girls and adult women, adding an important life skill and opportunity to bring in income. In Ghana, the first student in Otinibi entered university. Others have proceeded to secondary education. The Foundation is also aiming to document the success of the three current programs so that other organizations or governments can use the FFP model as a basis for increasing health, literacy, and prosperity in impoverished communities.


PEACE EDUCATION PROGRAM (PEP): TPRF is increasing its volunteer staff to meet the growing demand for the program in new areas, continuing translation into new languages, and developing better systems for reporting results. In almost every country where the program is active, the trend is for staff of large organizations, such as schools, hospitals, prisons, and rehabilitation centers to present the program themselves. Training in the course facilitation is available free of charge. During the global pandemic, the program has been offered virtually across the globe.

One of TPRF's greatest assets is that, although it is based in Los Angeles, it enjoys a broad international support base of both donors and volunteers. TPRF's virtual office brings the management team close together regardless of where they live. Among the volunteers are a large number of experienced men and women who have made available considerable time to help with the management of the Foundation and implementation of its programs. As new volunteer needs arise, role descriptions are created, and qualified people respond with the offer of their time and talent. Managers make the selection much as would be done for new hires. The atmosphere of teamwork and valuing each person's contribution makes volunteering for the Foundation enjoyable as well as challenging. These factors lead to efficiency, not just because of low overhead, but because non-competitive teamwork is very effective.

TPRF's Food for People program in Bantoli, India is now completely self-supporting, and the Nepal facility is partially self-supporting. All staff is local to the region of each facility, in line with the Foundation's intention to build facilities and work with communities and countries to make them self-sufficient.

PEACE EDUCATION PROGRAM (PEP): TPRF is increasing its volunteer staff to meet the growing demand for the program in new areas, continuing translation into new languages, and developing better systems for reporting results. In almost every country where the program is active, the trend is for staff of large organizations, such as schools, hospitals, prisons, and rehabilitation centers to present the program themselves. Training in the course facilitation is available free of charge. During the global pandemic, the program has been offered virtually across the globe.

With the first Food for People facility opening in 2006, the second in 2009, and the third in 2012, it has already become clear that the program has both an immediate and a growing influence on the communities they serve. As time goes on, students in local schools begin to perform better and show interest in going on to higher levels of education. Students begin to think in terms of careers beyond hard labor for survival. Understanding of the importance of hygiene spreads from the children to their families, and incidence of disease is beginning to decrease. The local doctor serving the area of FFP India reports that malnutrition among the children has decreased from 30% to 2% since the facility opened in 2006. The importance of close cooperation with each community has been reinforced over the years of experience. Increased community involvement is beginning to stimulate support, both in money and in-kind services, from the local area.

Progress has already been made toward the goal of self-sufficiency. We now have a formula for success for these facilities, including management, community involvement, and health standards. As current facilities become fully funded and managed locally, TPRF will be in the position to start new ones.

The success of the Peace Education Program has led to increasing demand for more materials for a growing number of people who have completed the 10-week course and want to continue on. For example, in Colombia, the program is part of the school curriculum in three departments (equivalent to provinces). Agreements have been made to include the program in correctional institutions in Italy, homeless shelters in South Africa, and prisons across São Paulo, Brazil.

As of mid 2021, the Peace Education Program has been completed by over 160,000 participants in over 70 countries, in 30 languages.

TPRF now has four Peace Education Programs courses to address this new demand and the variety of participants. A new course designed for high school and university students that includes educational activities is being piloted in four countries. For ongoing development of course materials and their translation, additional funding will be needed.