YOGA GIVES BACK DECEMBER NEWSLETTER

E-Newsletter - December 2012
Yoga Gives Back
For the cost of one yoga class, you can change a life.
Happy Holidays!!
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SUCCESS STORY: YGB's global community's support is making a real difference in India!!
Yoga Gives Back volunteer team visited our local NGO partners and fund recipients in West Bengal and Karnataka. Here is part one of this trip's reports!!
NISHTHA: Tripuranagar Village, West Bengal

Young girls carrying back packs with “Yoga Give Back” logo and baseball caps with “Sister Aid by YGB” in these villages.
Abolish Child Marriage” campaign sign in a village wall, states YGB as a sponsor!

Mothers are making progress with their income earning work such as sari embroidery, puffed rice, mud ornaments, etc. Loan repayment rate is approximately 95%.


"This is the most innovative program," said Mina Das, Director of YGB partner NGO NISHTHA in West Bengal. In its second year, YGB's direct funding "Sister Aid" program now provides micro loans for 44 mothers in three groups in this remote agrarian area. It is innovative not only because it does not charge interest for the loans, but most importantly because it requires loan recipient mothers to save at least 50 Rupees a month for their daughters' higher education. Therefore, the ultimate goal for this loan and profit making is "girls higher education," which is unique in the field of micro loan practices.

Jala Clothing YGB T-ShirtsThis is particularly significant in this region, as it is still a common practice for girls to marry as young as 13 years of age. While walking through villages, we met many young teen mothers carrying babies who do not even know the age of their husbands.

"Sister Aid" also covers the education costs for 44 daughters' as well as the cost of private tutors to help them maintain the school standard. In addition to their studies, the girls are educated in health, hygiene, leadership and communication.

We are truly inspired to see how the support of YGB's global community is providing hope and solutions to deep rooted problems of poverty and gender discrimination.
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Dr Patrice Braun (Prof. of Sustainable Development, Australia), Leslie Hendry (YGB Board, and Jane Connors (YGB Representative-North Carolina) made self-funded trip to join YGB President Kayoko Mitsumatsu in India to assess and further develop YGB programs with our local partners.

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Patrice---"I found it rather difficult to pick a 'most memorable moment' of the trip as there were many moments I felt honored to join this remarkable program and group of women. There were the enlightening meetings with the village women and girls empowered by YGB, showing us both encouraging progress and overwhelming gratitude."

Leslie---"Meeting and seeing the women YGB supports first hand was special. Sitting down and listening to their stories, their hopes and dreams makes one realize we are all cut from the same cloth, different experiences and situations; but we all love and hope the best for our kids and families. In the villages, the communities are very intimate, not like suburbs in the U.S., for example. By meeting us, I feel the women experience the global community support from their friends and sisters on the other side of the world."

Check Leslie Hendry's poignant article on this topic published in Huffington Post.com "Move Over, China and India -- Meet the Third Billion"

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