TPRF to Aid Relief Efforts in Drought-Stricken Kenya

Aid to address both immediate and long-term concerns

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) is contributing US$25,000, plus up to $10,000 in matching funds, to help in bringing emergency aid to an estimated 195,750 people caught in what has been called Kenya's worst drought in more than 60 years.

The funds, granted to the international humanitarian organization Mercy Corps (MC), will be used to cover the costs of rapid relief assistance and longer-term recovery programs. These include the expansion and rejuvenation of water sources in drought-stricken communities, as well as preparations for the next phase of relief, which will likely include food distribution as well as distribution of vouchers and conditional cash grants, so that people can purchase goods to meet their basic needs.

"Mercy Corps and its objectives in Kenya resonate with TPRF's overall aims," said TPRF President Linda Pascotto. "We see these grant monies as both bringing immediate relief and helping build a more promising and self-sustaining future for the people receiving aid."

"We are grateful to our partner TPRF for their generous support," said Cully Lundgren, Director of Development for MC, "The Foundation has been a strong advocate of our work in Haiti and Japan, and now we are thankful to have their help in addressing the Horn of Africa hunger crisis."

MC will use TPRF funding to assist families in northern Wajir districts, where reports say matters are made more difficult by the remoteness of the pastoral inhabitants in the area. MC organizers say their efforts will focus on the repair and rehabilitation of current water sources, providing clean and safe water, building latrines and offering hygiene education. There are also plans to rehabilitate water catchments, which will help alleviate community conflict over water resources while improving access for both humans and livestock.

United Nations estimates that more than four million Kenyans are among those threatened by starvation (BBC). The UN's Food Security & Nutrition Analysis Unit anticipates that the situation is likely to persist until at least December. The crisis goes beyond fluctuations in climate, say some experts, because Kenyans have learned to cope with low rainfall throughout their history.

About The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF)
The Prem Rawat Foundation promotes Prem Rawat's message of peace and his vision of addressing fundamental human needs so that people everywhere can live with dignity, peace and prosperity. For more information, visit: www.tprf.org.

SOURCE The Prem Rawat Foundation

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