TPRF Provides School Meal Program for Mayan Children in Mexico

Grant by The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) provides food for Mayan schoolchildren in the state of Yucatan

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 4, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A grant of US$24,500 from The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) ensures a daily nutritious meal for undernourished kindergarten and elementary school children in the Yucatan community of Kunche.

The grant recipient is Compartimos Bienestar y Salud Para Los Ninos Mayas I.A.P., a nonprofit organization that provides goods and services to Mayan children and families suffering from malnutrition and extreme poverty in the Yucatan. They have been working on nutrition and community development in Kunche since 2002.

Although Mexico boasts the 12th largest economy in the world, an estimated 25.2 million people living in rural areas face high levels of poverty. The people of Kunche are dependent on agriculture for survival. However, in recent years the corn harvest has been insufficient to support them, and, in spite of efforts by the women to raise money by weaving hammocks, they often cannot earn enough to feed their children.

The TPRF-supported program will provide nutritious food for 200 elementary school children each day throughout the school year and will train the children's mothers to prepare the meals. A wide variety of ingredients ensures that the "brunch" menu can change everyday: cereal, oats, yoghurt, milk, sweet bread, tortillas, ham and eggs, or scrambled eggs Mexican style with onion, tomatoes and sweet chili. Additionally, with a plentiful supply of fresh fruit and vegetables, beans, lentils, cheese, rice and fish, the children will be ensured a tasty, balanced meal every school day.

Before the breakfast program began, some children would go to school without any breakfast, while others would only drink what they call coffee: a mixture of ground burnt tortillas with water and sugar. At the end of the day, they would have only a meager meal of tortillas supplemented with eggs, pumpkin seeds, beans, and whatever local fruit is available. They would eat meat once a week at most.

The Prem Rawat Foundation first supported a breakfast program for schoolchildren in the Yucatan in 2008. This additional grant ensures that even more children benefit from a nutritious meal, now served at midday before the afternoon classes begin.

TPRF president Linda Pascotto says about this effort, "Every child should enjoy at least one nutritious meal a day. I am happy that TPRF can play a part in helping this struggling rural community to thrive."

About The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF)

Created in 2001, TPRF promotes Prem Rawat's vision to address fundamental human needs so that people everywhere can live their lives with Dignity, Peace, and Prosperity. For more information, visit: http://www.tprf.org

SOURCE The Prem Rawat Foundation