Food For People

Food For People Story
Bobby Hendry Interview (below)
Bobby Hendry oversees meal planning, hygiene, and procedures for the Food For People facilities in India, Nepal and Ghana. In this interview, conducted by Nick LLoyd, Bobby discusses in detail how hygiene, along with the nutritious meals, is changing the lives of the villagers in the communities the Food For People facilities serve. Listen to the recording here.

Here are some frequently asked questions about the Food for People Programme.

What is Food for People?

Food for People is an innovative, model food programme for rural villages in poverty stricken areas developed by The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) and inspired by its’ founder, Prem Rawat.  
The aim of the programme is simple: to provide regular healthy, nutritious meals for children and ailing adults in communities where malnutrition can so easily lead to a persistent cycle of poverty.

How did Food for People begin?

In 2003 Prem Rawat visited Jharkhand, India, a remote area in one of India’s poorest states.  He noticed that, though happy, the children who greeted him appeared underfed and destitute.  Prem Rawat learned that children under the age of five in this region had twice the mortality rate of those in the rest of India.  Touched by their plight, he resolved to help. 

What was the vision for Food for People?

Prem Rawat’s vision for the programme was to:

  • Provide daily nutritious, hot meals in the local cuisine for children & infirm adults
  • Include hygiene education to help stem the spread of disease
  • Hire local villagers to help run the facility
  • Grow and/or purchase food locally to support the economy
  • Provide education in more productive agricultural methods
  • Consult community leaders in the design of programme
  • Adjust the programme to changing needs.
The first custom-designed facility was opened in 2006 in Bantoli, India.  Centrally located between seven other villages within walking distance, the facility consistently provides hot, nutritious meals each day to children and infirm adults.  
 
How has the Food for People Programme developed?
 
The facility in Bantoli was so successful that The Prem Rawat Foundation has since opened a further two:

Nepal, 2009
The Food for People facility is located in the village of Tasarpu, a mountainous area near Kathmandu. As well as delivering meals to children and adults, they have provided emergency relief to the local community following the devastating earthquake in April 2015.

Ghana, 2012
The Food for People facility is located in the village of Otinibi, on the outskirts of Accra, Ghana.

What are the future plans for the programme?
 
Regular nutritious meals delivered over a sustained number of years have transformed the lives of people at all three facilities.
As well as their continuing support for existing projects, The Prem Rawat Foundation is exploring the possibility of opening a new facility in East Timor.