July, 2009—For most children in schools around the world, school lunches are part of their daily routine. But not at the Emndeni Junior Secondary School in Soweto, South Africa. This high school, located in an impoverished settlement area, had no feeding program at all and no cooking equipment. Now, thanks to a grant of US$30,000 to the African Children’s Feeding Scheme (ACFS) by The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF), 500 of the poorest students at the school will be receiving nutritious lunches.

The 500 children selected were those who came to school without lunchboxes, the poorest of the poor. A gas stove and steel pots were purchased so that nutritious meals prepared by an industrial catering company could be cooked each day. The meals consist of a variety of vegetables such as carrots, onions, potatoes, and green peppers. They include basic protein such as Grade-A minced meat, chicken fillets, or a special mixture of red speckled beans, yellow split peas, and barley, a specialty of the area and very nutritious. Carbohydrates such as macaroni, maize, and rice are also served, forming completely balanced meals.

To ensure the success of the program, the homes of the children were visited in order to involve the parents. Then, to continually measure the effectiveness of the program, the nutritional quality of the food and the progress of the students will be monitored. Community health workers, nursing sisters, and social workers work hand in hand with educators to monitor the program. Some of the teachers are also ACFS volunteers, who will examine the rate of absenteeism and truancy and the students’ progress in school.

The Executive Director of the ACFS, Sister Rejoice Nkutha, wrote, “On behalf of the African Children’s Feeding Scheme, I would like to thank The Prem Rawat Foundation most heartily for the grant of $30,000 which, when converted, came to R239,000 South African money. This will provide nutritious food to 500 children in Soweto through to December 2009, thus improving their quality of life. We also thank Prem Rawat for his message of peace to people around the world and providing essential humanitarian aid to the people in need.”

About The Prem Rawat Foundation
The Prem Rawat Foundation was created in 2001 by Prem Rawat, known also as Maharaji, and has a dual mission of bringing his message of peace to people around the world and providing essential humanitarian aid to those in need. TPRF partners with other humanitarian organizations to bring food, water and rapid disaster relief where it is most needed. For more information, visit: tprf.org