New Blog

Blessings Friends!

Thank you for supporting The Shanti Uganda Society and following the work we do in Uganda! Over the last while, we have slowly been moving this blog to our new website and hope you will join us there!

For updates and postings from the last few months visit www.shantiuganda.org

In light,

Natalie

Off The Mat Into The World

The Shanti Uganda Society has been selected as one of the beneficiaries of the OTM 2009 Seva Challenge - Bare Witness: Humanitarian Tour. Here is an AMAZING video of who they are and how they are making change in our world!



Here is the link to the 2009 Seva Challenge page, how the funds will be used by The Shanti Uganda Society to build our Birth House and Learning Centre, support the children we work with at New Hope School and improve the lives of the women in our income generating group. We are looking forward to having the 20 OTM participants join us in the building of our birth house - each one of them has committed to raising $20,000 by November 2009! They are an amazing group of sacred activists!

http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/sevachallenge

Abayudaya Fundraiser Cafe

Please visit the Shanti Uganda table at the following event!

Abayudaya Fundraiser Cafe
Help support the "Delicious Peace" Interfaith Coffee Co-op of Ugandan Jews, Muslims and Christians, The Shanti Uganda Society and other worthy projects

Sunday, March 15, 7:30 p.m. at Or Shalom
710 E.10th Ave. at Fraser. Minimum $10 donation at the door

Videos, Slides, Abayudaya Recordings,'Delicious Peace' coffee plus tea and treats, CDs and Shanti Uganda jewelry

The Abayudaya are a Jewish community in eastern Uganda. Lorne Mallin is going there in April as a Kulanu volunteer for six months and is raising money to support projects.

More info at orshalom.ca/march15.htm
and www.kulanu.org/abayudaya/index.php
and www.shantiuganda.org
604-222-3379 • lorne.mallin@gmail.com

Grace

This is Grace - she is a recent graduate of our training program and now has a certificate showing her membership in The Shanti Uganda Women's Income Generating Group! She also makes incredible crafts made from banana leaves - we love these beautiful wallets and recently bought a 'supply' from her to bring back to Canada. Here we are sitting on the porch of the volunteer house with the new wallets she just completed. Grace's son William is supported by the Just Like My Child sponsorship program which means unlike many ugandan boys, he gets to go to school. The foundation has decided to focus on encouraging the sponsorship parents to play a more active role in their children's education - which we LOVE!

Grace has decided that she wants to use the money she makes from her jewellery business with Shanti Uganda to pay the transportation costs to be able to visit her son at school during the year. We couldn't agree more that this is a great way to use her income!

Transform Your Life With Meditation

Blessings Friends!

Last year I was invited to be a part of an exciting project to support communities in Uganda, addictions in BC and individuals looking to improve their lives! Together with Wendy Weymann I recorded The Light Within: Guided Meditations For The Beginner And Beyond…

Our guided meditation CD has 5 different meditations/visualizations guided by 2 different voices! There are 2 silent meditations with a guided introduction where you can ease out of your relaxation to the sound of a gentle chime! The other three introduce you to the power of grounding & centering, deep abdominal breathing and a white light visualization.

A daily meditation practice WILL change your life! Not only will the CD make a difference in your own life, but a portion of each CD purchased will be donated to The Shanti Uganda Society and various addiction related charities in BC!

Reduce your stress level and ENJOY your life! Meditation knows no boundaries. Regardless of religion, age, or lifestyle, the practice of sitting 'with yourself' has the potential to heal and transform individuals from the inside out. When you strip away the outer layers and turn the focus within, you will find not only the path to self-awareness, but the beauty and truth at the core of your heart.

To listen to sound clips, or to purchase the CD visit www.wendyweymann.com

To purchase as an MP3 file, go to http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6614541

$2 from every CD purchased will be donated to The Shanti Uganda Society and $7 from all purchases made at Shanti Uganda events will be donated to the organization.

To purchase a CD or for wholesale inquiries, contact Natalie shantiuganda@yahoo.ca or Wendy wendyweymann@telus.net

In light,

Natalie

Board of Directors!

Blessings Friends,

The Shanti Uganda Society is looking for amazing individuals to join our Board of Directors in Vancouver BC. Shanti Uganda improves the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of communities impacted by poverty, war and HIV/AIDS in Uganda .

If you are passionate about sustainable community development, holistic health, conscious birth and natural building, send us an email! Board Members have experience fundraising, believe strongly in seva (selfless service) and are able to attend board meetings in BC, Canada. We are looking for individuals to be a part of our growth over the next year as we begin building The Shanti Uganda Birth House and Learning Centre in Uganda. Join us on a journey to reduce maternal and infant death rates and support women in a rural community in Uganda!

For more information about the role of a board member or to meet with our existing board, email shantiuganda@yahoo.ca Elections are this coming Spring.

In peace,

natalie

Nansubuga Rose

This is Rose - she has 7 children, is HIV+ and is the most beautiful, hardworking, inspiring woman I know! Since joining the Shanti Uganda Women's Income Generating Group, her life has changed and the impact of those changes will be passed down to her 7 children - most of them girls. The impact will continue in this way from generation to generation.

She also makes beautiful multi colour long beaded necklaces. Here in Uganda, they are known as 'bubblegum' - The women in our group have named it katogo (which means mixture in luganda). Katogo is also known as breakfast matoke (a mixture of bananas, gound nuts and veggies eaten for breakfast). They all think that this is very funny and roar in laughter at the thought of calling a beautiful beaded necklace 'katogo'. If you are wearing your long multicoulour necklance, there's a good chance it was made by Rose. During her jewellery and business training she learned the value of focusing on what she does well. We love her 'katogo' necklaces and she can ALWAYS be found down at the hut working away at cutting paper, rolling beads and then stringing different shapes, sizes and colours to make the 'katogo' necklace.

Rose and I have a special relationship, because she knows that the multi colour necklace just happens to be my favourite necklace. Each buying day, she carefully unrolls her fabric pouch to reveal a new pile of beautiful, colourful paper beaded 'katogo' necklaces. I have seen them a thousand times, but each time she does this its as though I have never in my life seen a multi colour necklace. My eyes widen and a smile creeps over my face - she thinks that this is hilarious because she knows the same thing happens EVERY time! It always causes her to laugh and the two of us giggle over the 'predictability' of the whole situation!

The day before I was scheduled to leave Uganda this time, I walked out of the volunteer house to go talk to the sisters and found Rose, rolling away on our porch! The women don't often come to the volunteer house unless they have something to ask or share with us, but there she was- content - sitting there, rolling her beads. As soon as she saw me, we exchanged the typical series of greetings in Luganda, but she continued chatting away - intent on communicating to me something that seemed very important. This was well beyond my comprehension and I went to get Maria to translate.

Rose began to share with me all of the ways the project has changed her life, her new-found sense of empowerment, her ability to feel proud of who she is and her faith in the future and the future of her children. By now, she had a huge smile on her face and tears began to well up in her eyes as she reached into her fabric pouch to reveal a beautiful, colourful 'katogo' necklace. She carefully placed the necklace into my hand and we sat there with tears rolling down our cheeks holding hands on the porch. A gift. Webale (thankyou) she repeated over and over, turning her face to hide her tears. And then she left. I wore the necklace on the plane ride home - a reminder of Rose and all of the women who inspire us to trust, to have faith, to carry on.