"Why God did this to me?"---Meeting SHE Scholarship Teen Students at Deenabandhu #3

SHE Scholarship Teen Students at Deenabandhu

Yoga Gives Back launched a new exciting program SHE (Scholarship for Higher Education) in 2013. This five year scholarship now funds 62 financially disadvantaged students at high school and college level so that they can continue and complete their higher education, acquire degrees and get their dream jobs. This scholarship will provide very poor but extremely eager students a life time opportunity for higher education and to become real change makers in their community, India and this world.

Among the graduates from Deenabandhu Elementary School in Chamarajanagar, a town of 1 million and where the majority of families are below the poverty line (earning less than $2 a day). Jayadev and a group of teachers have selected 31 eligible students for this program this year. All the students and supporting teachers gathered to express their gratitude for YGB's support. They each gave us a beautiful hand drawn thank you card and one girl performed a beautiful B… dance.

Most of you, like myself, would not believe what these teenagers have gone through in their lives already. I filmed all students' dreams.

Sandeep is a 19 year old SHE student, who is currently studying very hard to pass the 10th grade exam next March, equivalent to senior in high school.

Sandeep 19 years old

"Education is much more precious than GOLD." Sandeep said with incredibly focused eyes. I interviewed him further about his background with Jayadev's help. What I learned from him was beyond what I could have imagined his story broke my heart. As a young boy Sandeep lived in Deenbandhu orphanage when his mother could not take care of him. When he was 12 years old, his mother returned to Deenbandhu to take him home to live with her. However, his mother had no income earning skills or desire, and she sent Sandeep to work at a construction site to pay their 150 rupee (3 dollar) monthly rent in Bangalore. His mother continued to force him to work for seven years!!  Being a diligent child laborer his employer praised him for his good work, but Sandeep always knew that he was cheated with his payments. "Why God did this to me? Why I can not go to school when all other children are going every morning?" he kept asking himself. After seven years of hard work, one day, he could not take it anymore, he wanted to study!!  Sandeep called Jayadev who gladly welcomed him back to Deenabandhu home to resume his education. 

Ganashree, 18 yrs old, 1st year at local college hoping to become Mathmatics teacher Her family is supported by one elder sister's income after her father died two years ago.

Sandeep is taking private tutoring classes to make up for all the missed years of education. He is extremely eager to get a high school degree next year and hopes to advance to a college and study engineering. "When I become an engineer and make money, I want to help more children like myself. I want to help children in a very difficult situation get an education, raise themselves from the bad circumstances, to dream and to reach their full potential."

Girls Group Students

How did Sandeep come to in touch with his inner calling for education and higher goals for his life, I have to learn more.

I am just so humbled and inspired that a student like Sandeep will have a chance to achieve his goals and in turn help others and ultimately impact the deep rooted socio-economic illness created by vast poverty in India.

I filmed all the students in an effort to learn about their ambitions and dreams for their future with the help of this higher education scholarship. Every student has a very difficult situation at home. The average household income is 11000 rupees a year, about 180 US dollars, or 15 dollars a month!

I was deeply moved to hear each student's determination and gratitude to achieve their higher goals with this opportunity, much like when I listen to impoverished mothers who received micro loans. They all know from the bottom of their heart that this might be the only chance they have got in their lives. We often take so much for granted in our lives, such as education, food, clothes, credit cards, even our family and home. Listening to 31 students voices of honest and pure enthusiasm for their higher education confirmed to me that SHE program has unlimited potential. I can not wait to see how this program will continue to grow with YGB's global community's support like yours!!!

Rohini, 18 years old, 1st year at a local college, wants to become politician to alleviate poverty. Her family is currently suffering from financial hardship from losing a cow as a income earner

If you are interested in supporting these hardworking students, become a YGB member or DONATE!!

I am also grateful for two corporations PURE International and Yoga Fit who took the initiative to fund part of this program with a five year commitment.

Witness YGB Ambassador Anouk's Incredible Journey: Deenabandhu Children's Home #2

   

YGB Ambassador Anouk Prop has been supporting YGB from her hometown Maastricht in the Netherlands as YGB Ambassador for a few years. Being a psychotherapist with a successful private practice and a therapist at a clinic, treating trauma and addition related issues, as well as being an avid Ashtangi and yoga teacher, Anouk wanted to do more than just host a fundraiser class for YGB. This summer Anouk launched her own fundraising campaign "Expedition Kili" as part of YGB's "Thank You Mother India". As the first step of this pioneering effort, Anouk came to volunteer to Deenabandhu Children's Home in October to offer her psychotherapy counseling for children with trauma related issues, as well as offering Yoga for all the children and teachers at this home and Denabandhu Elementary School.  It has been only two months, however I was so impressed to witness a solid regular counseling sessions created by Jayadev, Anouk and Mahesh Kumar, English teacher at Deenabandhu Elementary School. Anouk and Maneesh meet with children with learning problems, dyslexia and trauma related issues on a daily basis. 

I sat and filmed through two sessions, each lasting 1.5 hour at a very slow pace so that each child has a chance to feel deeper within their heart and express their feelings in their own words. Anouk patiently asks questions and Maneesh translates carefully to convey the children's words back to Anouk. Jayadev is very inspired with this program's success which already brought out a  lot of new important information about each child. 

This afternoon, this 13 year boy started to describe about his continued nightmares with unidentified scary faces. In reality, he was at his parents' death scene but never saw their faces after the death. He does not know what really caused their deaths, though he was in the next room watching TV. "Did somebody come in and kill them?"  "Why wasn't I able to help them? " All complex issues are still within him haunting him on a daily basis. He is going through a lot of confusion with deep sorrow. Anouk continues to talk with him and suggests to Jayadev and Maneesh that it is a positive step forward that he is opening up and feeling safe to talk about these deep feelings. As a team, she proposes that they need to guide him to focus on the present and any happy feelings he has. The boy also disclosed that citing Ganesh mantra when scary faces appear in his mind, seems to be helping. Anouk counsels that these small but positive tools should be encouraged to use whenever needed. Anouk also suggested to look for some tangible objects to hang onto when bad moments happen to him, it can be a small ball, smiley face doll, anything.

I was truly inspired how Anouk's work is adding so much to children and teachers at Deenabandhu. Jayadev is very happy how Anouk has brought in this program "Psychology and Yoga" for children. Jayadev believes that "the reality of mind" needs objectivity to be understood, the mechanism of mind. Western psychology is very helpful as it believes that every behavior has a reason. Jayadev had psychological approach since 1990's but having an expert Anouk on the ground for 4 months has definitely shed light to the importance of this approach again. Anouk and Jayadev believe that this approach will be able to bring out self esteem in children. 

Anouk's action and commitment is the best example of how one person can take Yoga Gives Back to a totally different level. By making real commitment to make a difference, she is already making a difference in many children's lives. If we tap into our potential and share with others, we can bring out such incredible positive changes in this word. I am so grateful and happy that Anouk has shown this powerful precedent to us .

As the final step of "Expedition KILI", Anouk will climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise more awareness and funds. What so special about this is that her father and two other friends will also join this incredible endeavor!! To this date, they already raised over 6000 dollars!! Anouk continues to get up before 6am to run 45 minutes and practice Ashtanga Yoga for 1.5 hour every morning as a training for this last big Climb!  Thank you ANOUK for this amazing and empowering effort.

"What is the goal of EDUCATION and YOGA?" ---Visiting Deenabandhu Children's Home #1

Visiting Deenabandhu Trust Home, about 50 km outside of Mysore, in a small town called Chapanajanagar, has become one of the highlights of YGB visits each time. Professor Gugguri Jayadev founded this home for a six orphaned boys in 1991. Today, it houses 100 girls and boys who have absolutely no other place else to go. 

What strikes me the most about this home is its incredibly peaceful air. This home is embraced with many children's happy greetings all day long. Needless to say, every child has suffered a traumatic background before they reached this home.

Professor Jayadev,  Founder of Deenabandhu Children's Home

Morning coffee with spiritual and critical thinker Professor Jayadev is something I treasure and look forward to. Soft spoken with extremely deep knowledge and views regarding education, socio-economic issues of India, and YOGA, he shared with me what the real education should be for every child. Deenabandhu Trust runs this orphanage and a private elementary school for the lowest income families from local community based on Professor Jayadev's conviction that every child has unlimited talent.  The goal of EDUCATION should be to teach a child "WHO I AM" rather than "WHAT I CAN DO", not to teach skills that deal with resources but "to discover the man and woman behind the skills". Just like YOGA should not be just about physical exercises, ASANA, but needs to be coupled with a path to holy thoughts and meaning "how can I be helpful to others? This is the natural state of the human mind", Jayadev says.  The goal of education should be to learn "control on oneself" and not "control of resources/skills", just like YOGA!

 
As we start a day, I learn more about the seriousness of the deep scars each child carries with trauma and difficulties, being abandoned by their parents, forced to accept sudden deaths of parents, having to beg with homeless mothers, etc. However, there is no darkness or desperation about this reality at this home. Rather there is prevailing sense of hope with peace. It is a magical place and maybe one of the most peaceful places I have ever been to.  I always feel so grateful for being 

connected to this home through Yoga Give Back's work and really want to share what I learn and experience here even in a short three day stay visit. So, please check back for future blog posts. You can also learn more about Deenabandhu Children's Home in the latest YGB Film "Deenabandhu: Home of Love and Acceptance.

Children chant and meditate daily at 6am. They memorize various Sanskrit chanting without lessons or books!! They also chant at breakfast, lunch and dinner time.

Lokesh Rao, a graduate of Deenabandhu Trust Home. Always smiling and willing to help everyone!! He has been my best filming assistant each time. He majors in Life Science and will travel to Poland in 2015 to volunteer and stay with host family!! "Olleyadagale (good luck in Kanada)!!"

Manjula, one of the house mothers who cooks all day for children and visitors. Best morning coffee with her smile!!

With YGB Ambassadors Anouk Prop who has been volunteering as a psychotherapist and yoga teacher since October and Kathleen Kastner who joined me for this entire trip, owner of Maya Yoga, Kansas City.  Having three meals with Jayadev is a true treat for us. Thank you!!