I have traveled the world many times speaking about peace. And people ask me, “How is peace going to be possible?” I tell them, “Maybe you have ten reasons why peace is not possible: There is too much greed. There are too many people who are hungry. I have 6.7 billion reasons why there should be peace on this earth—6.7 billion being the population of this earth, approximately.”

I have the same interest you do, the same quest as you, the same dream as you. And we, the people, can make the difference for peace on this earth.

We have relied on institutions long enough. Institutions can bring us prosperity—ways to flourish on the outside. But when it comes to feeling the peace on the inside, this remains our responsibility. I have gone from village to village. I have seen the poor, and I have seen the rich. These are society’s differences, the glasses they give us that say, “Look at me. I am rich; I am poor. I am tall; I am short. I am a woman; I am a man. I am educated; I am not educated.”

These divisions have pushed people further away from each other, not brought them together. Look at the condition of this world. There are more educated people today than there have ever been. And look what that has brought. If the solution lies anywhere, it is, and has always been, inside of us. It is incumbent upon human beings to bring peace, to bring kindness to each other.

Peace and the quest for peace will persevere. You are the little seeds that, when they germinate, carry on the cause of peace in this world.

What is peace? People think, “If everybody had food, then we would have peace.” Excuse me. Who creates food? Do people create food? No. We can sow the seeds. Nature does the work. Nature grows the trees and the fruit. Is nature partial to what language you speak? Is nature partial to any of the divisions that we have created? No. Can the people of this world be fed? Yes. What does it take? Kindness.

There is a saying: “If you are strong, you should be kind. If you are smart, you should be simple. If you are wealthy, you should be humble.” I agree. The kindness that needs to exist is in the heart of people, but skepticism hides that kindness.

Some people say, “If all the children were taken care of, there would be peace.” God takes care of that child for nine months in the womb. That’s not where the problem begins. It’s when the child comes into our world. Nine months—food, water, sleep—everything is perfectly taken care of.

I am not here to give you peace. I am here to put the idea in your head that peace exists inside of you. Start thinking, that’s all. The thirsty will find the water, because they have the thirst. But if there is no thirst, they could be standing next to a lake, and it won’t make any difference whatsoever.

I am saying, “Let us know the dream of our heart to have that crystal clear water.” Everybody can not only drink from it but bathe in it. This is the dream; this is the possibility. One step at a time. 


People come to me and say, “Give me some peace!” How can I give you what you already have? You have that peace inside of you. The attitude that needs to change is: Is peace a possibility or not? This is what you have to decide. I have decided for myself. Yes, peace is a possibility. The drums of peace have been ringing on this earth for a very, very long time.

Your strength lies in understanding your thirst, your need to be in that joy, to be in that happiness. There is a dimension inside of you that is greater than all that you see on the outside. You are more than the sum of all the bad that happens in your life. Peace is inside of you even in turmoil, and you can experience that peace. It begins with understanding your thirst for it.

Prem Rawat

Local program offers food assistance to handicapped women and children in Niamey

Press release

Los Angeles, August 2008 —

In May 2008 the Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) donated US$10,000 to the Koulawa NGO organization to provide food for more than 750 disabled women and children in Niamey, Niger, who are in various educational and training programs.

An exceptionally arid region on the edge of the Sahara desert, Niger has long suffered political instability, drought and scarcity of food. With the recent rapid increase in the price of cereals, many of those most at risk have been faced with the threat of starvation.

By the end of July, three distributions of rice, maize and millet had been made to 760 people in five districts within the Niamey urban community. One more distribution is planned by the end of August. The recipients so far have included 50 blind students, 100 deaf students, and 610 women and children and some men with other handicaps. In one village, Route Fillingué, the food gave a special boost to people who had recently lost their homes in a fire.

Mariama Halidou, president of the Harobanda women’s group for people suffering loss of lower limb locomotion, sent her thanks to TPRF “for making this effort to help handicapped women and children. The food distribution has allowed us to return to work.”

The coordinator of the project for Koulawa NGO, Mme. Mahadi Zeinabou Sangaré, reports that these distributions have gone extremely well and that the effort is making a significant contribution in the battle against poverty and begging among the handicapped in this area. It is a program they would very much like to expand to other areas of Niger.

Koulawa NGO is a nonprofit, non-government agency that aims to improve the conditions of the disabled in Niamey, Niger’s largest city. According to Mme. Sangaré, staple food such as rice, corn, millet and sorghum provided by TPRF’s grant will enable the women and children in the program facing abject poverty to “stay in the NGO center rather than beg for food in the streets.” They will then be able to focus on receiving the education and vocational training to learn the required skills for them to be independent.

The objectives of the NGO are the training, promotion, social integration and the improvement of living conditions of the disabled. The organization’s focus is on disabled women and children, especially in the field of specialized education, literacy, access to maternity and pediatric healthcare, and activities to generate funds.

Photographs Courtesy of Koulawa NGO

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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. To learn more about TPRF’s humanitarian initiatives, Prem Rawat and his message of peace, please visit www.tprf.org.