TPRF Grant to Provide Clean Water, Food, and Shelter in Japan

LOS ANGELES, March 31, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) has contributed US$100,000 to aid survivors of the 9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami that have brought widespread destruction in Japan. The initial effort will be to respond to the basic needs of food, water and shelter for the tens of thousands who have lost homes, family members, livelihoods and more. The funds came to TPRF from hundreds of supporters from all over the world eager to help in the most effective way they could.

The first TPRF grant has been awarded to Mercy Corps, a global development agency that was quick to respond to the crisis in cooperation with its Japanese partner Peace Winds. The funds are supporting their distributions of clean water, food, warm clothing, tents, hygiene supplies and other goods essential to life in at least four tsunami-devastated cities on the northeastern coast of Japan, the region hardest hit during the disaster.

"Mercy Corps has asked for our assistance to meet current goals of providing food, fuel, and blankets to evacuees living in temporary shelters," said TPRF President Linda Pascotto. "In view of the severity of the situation and the response of donors, TPRF elected to double the size of the grant initially requested. We're particularly impressed that in addition to improving access to clean water and being attentive to hygiene and sanitation conditions, which are among TPRF's primary concerns, Mercy Corps is looking for ways to begin early economic recovery activities in the affected zones."

The official death toll caused by the earthquake and tsunami exceeds 11,000, with at least 16,000 still missing, news agencies reported early this week. The immediate concern in relief efforts, however, is providing for an estimated 250,000 people who have taken shelter in nearly 1,900 evacuation centers that are still in operation almost three weeks after the first shockwaves struck.

Reporting from the scene last week, Mercy Corps' director of global emergency operations Randy Martin, said that the response team was making multiple daily deliveries of relief supplies by air and road to hundreds of evacuees living in temporary shelters. He reported the team had brought in emergency supplies, including blankets, kerosene, gasoline, tarps, rice and bread, with plans to continue to bring in more tents and supplies.

Cully Lundgren and Christine Tye, directors of development for Mercy Corps, said that since conditions in Japan are changing daily, adjustments in the program are continually being made to maximize its effectiveness.

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