HEART CENTRE YOGA presents…
A GLOBAL MALA EVENT
Join us for 108 Rounds of the Maha Mrityanjaya Mantra – a sanskrit prayer for personal and global healing. In honour of World Peace Day, yoga studios around the world will form a ‘global mala’ and collectively focus on bringing peace to the world. All are welcome!
Saturday Sept 20th 2008
7:30pm (doors open at 7pm)
$10 donation to The Shanti Uganda Society
Heart Centre Yoga
3978b Hastings St. Burnaby BC
www.heartcentreyoga.ca
www.shantiuganda.org
www.globalmala.org
for more information contact natalie shantiuganda@yahoo.ca
Monday, September 15, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Supporting the birth process...
Two new beautiful, calm eyes appeared from under the blanket in the nursing ward. Mama held her first born baby boy tight to her chest, glowing with love and a sense of triumph! He was born the night before after hours of walking, drinking, physical support and most of all strength! What made this birth special was that this one baby made his way into the world just as he was meant to. There was no cesarean section, he wasn’t taken out with metal forceps, the mother didn’t wear a sense of defeat after being told that her body was not capable of birthing her own child. Although just one birth, experiences like these confirm how important our work is and how many women and children can benefit from a renewed sense of power.
After hearing the long list of reasons to justify a cesarean birth the day before, I realised that it wouldn’t take much for this birth to be taken from its natural course. There were multiple women in active labour who took turns climbing onto the labour table (complete with garbage bag cover), a line out the door of pregnant women waiting for a check up and one very dedicated head-midwife who was holding the entire process together. At the other end of the courtyard, there were tears, moans and a family in mourning over the loss of their mother – her body was wheeled out on a metal cart. Most of the women in the birth ward held anything they were experiencing so far within that it was often difficult to tell from just walking by who was actually in labour or not! We were able to bring this one woman outside to help her face some of what she was experiencing! We pressed on her hips, got her on her hands and knees, danced at the wall, and spent as much time outside as possible. The midwives even got involved and soon began to use some of the simple suggestions we offered to support the birth process. She birthed her baby boy at 9pm with a deep sense of accomplishment and pride!
The maternal mortality rate in Uganda is horrific. Each year more than half a million women around the world die during pregnancy and birth and reducing child and maternal mortality are now two of the official Millennium Development Goals. This time around we were able to talk to midwives who told us stories of women with complications being transferred from their small community birth centres to the local hospital on a 45min bumpy scooter ride, we learned about traditional herbs and ceremonies performed at a birth such as ‘Etwatwa’ where the baby is bathed in the tea leaves from a beautiful purple flower for wisdom and good luck and we were introduced to harmful misconceptions involving using cow dung on new babies to avoid HIV.
We are honoured to work with the midwives in Luweero! Sister Ernestine runs a very special clinic and has spent her life dedicated to her community and place of service. The head midwife Sister Teddy, is looking forward to our return and was so appreciative to receive the textbooks, pamphlets, baby products and birth education supplies we brought to the clinic this year.
In addition to our existing work with birthing women, midwives and traditional birth attendants in Uganda, we have recently started a new project to bring birth kits to the women birthing in Luweero. The kits cost $15 Canadian and include everything a woman needs for birth including a reusable pad and liner for after she has given birth. They are available at www.mamagoddessbirthshop.com
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Updates From Uganda
The previous photos were recently sent from Julius, our Project Coordinator in Uganda. One is the finished sign hanging at New Hope School, the second is a photo of the chicken house in progress. Our building plan includes 300 chickens which will provide eggs for the children each day.
Menstrual Pads For The Girls
Before leaving for Uganda this summer, I sent an email out to Lunapads and Goods 4 Girls asking for their support in donating a few pads for the girls we work with in Uganda. My request for a few pads was more than responded to as both Lunapads AND Goods 4 Girls sent us over with hundreds of pads for the girls we support! We were thrilled to be able to bring such a large supply to Uganda!
So many girls in Uganda face challenges every month due to a lack of supplies, sanitation facilities and money. All of the girls we support are orphans and have experienced such a great deal of poverty and loss already in life. Many of them miss classes and end up feeling disconnected from their bodies. The girls use old rags which can not be attached properly – this means that they avoid any movement which might cause the rag to fall out of their skirts. They can not be washed properly and easily soak through into the clothing they are wearing. These pads were life changing for them! There were tears, questions, clapping, singing and dancing – but most of all, the girls were happy to have a ‘girls only’ meeting. For the first time ever, the younger girls actually wanted their period to come so that they could receive a kit as well. We made sure to give the matrons (the women who take on the role of mother for all of the girls and sleep with them at night) at both schools a kit as well – they were also in tears after experiencing a lifetime of difficulty surrounding their period!
The kits were taken to two very different schools. It was beautiful to watch the various responses the girls had to the pads. We took the pads from Lunapads to the girls at one of the local highschools in Luweero. It is a catholic school and we came during a rain storm. We gathered all of the girls we could find (most of them leave with the rain) and brought them into a dry room. They were shy and reserved while talking about the pads (something that is not often discussed at their school), but their eyes began to twinkle when they came to understand that they could keep these pads forever! They voted one girl to take the extra pads for the girls who were not present that day and show them what they had learned about washing and drying them. It was such a wonderful experience to watch these girls slowly unfold, become comfortable talking about their own bodies and finally hold a gift in their hands that was brand new and their own .
We brought over 50 kits (with 5 pads in each kit) to the primary school we support in Entebbe. It took a while to gather all of the girls and the matron into one room -the boys tried to get in, but the girls let them know that it was ‘girls only’. They were quick to offer up the multiple reasons why they ‘didn’t like having their period’. So different from the first school, there was a short silence as the girls tried to process exactly what ‘reusable’ meant, but as soon as it was understood, they were yelling and singing and clapping. The matron began a speech, but ended up in tears as she tried to explain what a difference these pads would make. Later, I stumbled into the girls room to find them practising attaching the pads to their underwear and coming up with a washing and drying plan that wouldn’t let the boys run off with their new gifts!
So many girls in Uganda face challenges every month due to a lack of supplies, sanitation facilities and money. All of the girls we support are orphans and have experienced such a great deal of poverty and loss already in life. Many of them miss classes and end up feeling disconnected from their bodies. The girls use old rags which can not be attached properly – this means that they avoid any movement which might cause the rag to fall out of their skirts. They can not be washed properly and easily soak through into the clothing they are wearing. These pads were life changing for them! There were tears, questions, clapping, singing and dancing – but most of all, the girls were happy to have a ‘girls only’ meeting. For the first time ever, the younger girls actually wanted their period to come so that they could receive a kit as well. We made sure to give the matrons (the women who take on the role of mother for all of the girls and sleep with them at night) at both schools a kit as well – they were also in tears after experiencing a lifetime of difficulty surrounding their period!
The kits were taken to two very different schools. It was beautiful to watch the various responses the girls had to the pads. We took the pads from Lunapads to the girls at one of the local highschools in Luweero. It is a catholic school and we came during a rain storm. We gathered all of the girls we could find (most of them leave with the rain) and brought them into a dry room. They were shy and reserved while talking about the pads (something that is not often discussed at their school), but their eyes began to twinkle when they came to understand that they could keep these pads forever! They voted one girl to take the extra pads for the girls who were not present that day and show them what they had learned about washing and drying them. It was such a wonderful experience to watch these girls slowly unfold, become comfortable talking about their own bodies and finally hold a gift in their hands that was brand new and their own .
We brought over 50 kits (with 5 pads in each kit) to the primary school we support in Entebbe. It took a while to gather all of the girls and the matron into one room -the boys tried to get in, but the girls let them know that it was ‘girls only’. They were quick to offer up the multiple reasons why they ‘didn’t like having their period’. So different from the first school, there was a short silence as the girls tried to process exactly what ‘reusable’ meant, but as soon as it was understood, they were yelling and singing and clapping. The matron began a speech, but ended up in tears as she tried to explain what a difference these pads would make. Later, I stumbled into the girls room to find them practising attaching the pads to their underwear and coming up with a washing and drying plan that wouldn’t let the boys run off with their new gifts!
Yoga Wear
In order to completely participate in the yoga classes, the girls need clothing to wear instead of the restrictive skirts that are worn to school. While this seems relatively small compared to the many problems they face in life, their ability to participate in the classes enables them to relax, breathe and build self-esteem!
Our problem was solved this time around – we were given a large donation of yoga clothing from Breathe Yoga Wear! The girls were all thrilled to receive a beautiful new outfit that wasn’t falling apart! Not only did this allow them to make their way into downward dog and other partner poses with ease, it also gave them the opportunity to dive, jump and lose all inhibition while playing soccer! By the end of our yoga classes this time around, the girls were creating their own poses, feeling empowered and most importantly taking time to breathe!
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