Help African Children to Strengthen Mental Health With Yoga Pura Vida

Here’s the problem:

Mental health problems in Africa are one of the main reasons that prevent community development, for which the cycle of poverty and violence is perpetuated.

Worldwide 970 million people have a mental health disorder. Depression and anxiety are the leading causes of disability. Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among 15 to 29 year olds. People with severe mental health conditions die as much as two decades earlier due to preventable physical conditions (WHO).

Why help us?

Yoga Pura Vida (YPV) has more than 10 years of experience sharing therapeutic yoga techniques to improve and maintain the good physical and mental health of children. Medical and psychological research have proven that yoga practices help alleviate depression and anxiety, reduce gender and ethnic biases, and foster altruism and community building.

Unlike large humanitarian organisations, all who have been involved in the work of YPV have completed their work on a voluntary basis, making every euro raised invested directly in these projects.

Dharmajyoti and Nuria, founders and directors of the YPV foundation, are active members managing each project to make sure that each euro raised is invested only in what is most necessary.

budget

Here’s how you can help:

If you resonate with our cause, please help with your donation. Each euro adds a great value  to cover the costs of €328 per teacher, as they are the channels to reach vulnerable children, youths and adults in Africa.

100% of donations (less the 3.7% + $0.30 per donation transaction fee) will go directly to empower children and youths in Africa.

TANZANIA-panoramico

How will we do it?

During 2023 we will give two courses in Tanzania, one in the refugee camp of Dzaleka (Malawi), and one in Rwanda. The Instructors will be able to teach in many schools, some of them with over 2000 or 3000 children. Also, they will share the yogic tools with hundreds of unschooled children and teenagers, as well as with young people and adults from their local communities.

If you prefer to donate directly to our bank account, here is the data:

Bank: OpenBank

Holder: Fundación Yoga Pura Vida

Account: ES1800730100580506128285

SWIFT Code: OPENESMM

Please share this campaign with the people you know related to yoga and childcare

These are the achievements of YPV during the last 10 years:

TANZANIA

From 2013 till today we have reached 16,000 children and teenagers, introducing yoga in over 25 schools, orphanages, Non profit organisations, the University of Iringa, and in several villages around the country. Some primary and secondary schools have introduced yoga as part of their curriculum, generating a demand for new yoga teachers in several schools.

REFUGEE CAMP DZALEKA (MALAWI)

We have benefited as of today 3,746 children and 340 adults, introducing yoga in 26 schools besides many unschooled children. In July 2023 we are going to train 12 refugees and 3 Malawian members from the host community, allowing us to introduce yoga to over 17,000 children and teenagers. 

Right now YPV is helping  build a house/office inside the refugee camp that will be used by the YPV team members to support all the upcoming projects.

KENYA

We have introduced yoga in the Eastleigh, Huruma and Lungalunga communities, impoverished areas of Nairobi, and we have benefited over 200 children who live in situations of exclusion and vulnerability.

UGANDA

Yoga has been introduced to hundreds of children and youths in the slums of Kampala, schools, orphanages and NGOs. Also to children undergoing chemotherapy or with different levels of autism.

RWANDA

In Kigali yoga has been introduced to elderly survivors of the genocide, vulnerable children, and hospital care takers. See how the elderly in Rwanda use yoga to tackle mental health.

https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/185225/News/video-how-the-elderly-in-bugesera-use-yoga-to-tackle-mental-health#.YHF64E8P1O8.facebook

SIERRA LEONE

During 2022 classical yoga practices have been introduced in several towns and villages, NGOs supporting street children and youthas well the St John of God School of Nurses and the Makeni University and other institutions.

SPAIN

YPV has started a pilot project financed by the government of the Madrid community, utilzing yoga and art therapy in a secondary school “Ciudad de los Angles” as tools to prevent self-harm and suicidal behaviour amongst adolescents. The EARTADI researchers team from the Complutense University of Madrid is supporting and studying the project. 

In January we will start in Madrid, 3 new projects bringing yoga to 2 elderly homes and 1 centre supporting elder immigrants African women. A team of researchers from the Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona will join all the projects to study the methods and results of our intervention. Also, the researcher Sandra Lozano and a team from ‘Observatorio das Dinâmicas do Envelhecimento no Alentejo’ (Portugal) will be supporting and studying the gerontologic projects during 2023.

Besides the projects in Madrid, YPV has started developing projects in Majorica, introducing yoga to elderly people with Alzheimer and dementia, as well as people The researcher Sandra Lozano and the team from ‘Observatorio das Dinâmicas do Envelhecimento no Alentejo’ (Portugal) will be supporting and studying the project during 2023.

WORKING FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE

Today, YPV has become an international movement dedicated to uplifting the quality of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual life of vulnerable children, youths, elderly, and communities in the most impoverished parts of Africa and vulnerable groups in Spain. 

Our main goal is to continue training ‘community leaders’ in classical yoga in an efficient, systematic, and sustainable way. Providing them guidance and support to become serious, knowledgeable, sincere and committed yoga teachers who fully understand the purpose of educating children, youths and adults in harmony with the yogic lifestyle; as well as introducing therapeutic yoga practices to all kinds of vulnerable groups. Our intention is to build a healthier, happier, more peaceful, and more prosperous society.

Our mission has achieved success over the years by staying honest and true to our intentions, regardless of the difficulties and obstacles we might face along the way. With determination and dedication, most of YPV teachers are serving vulnerable, underprivileged and impoverished communities with love and respect, introducing yoga practices to a vast number of children, youths and adults.

Our vision is to keep the teaching of yoga to children and youths as the core of all of our African projects. This way we bring yoga practices to the places where kids are interacting, including the whole education system and organisations supporting children and youth development. Additionally, we continue introducing yoga to elderly people, immigrants, and vulnerable groups in Spain.

CREATING SELF-EMPLOYMENT AND WORK

New job and self-employment opportunities arise by educating children, adults, and vulnerable people to understand how a simple yoga lifestyle can uplift their human capacities to their maximum extent while keeping good mental and physical health. Almost all the yoga teachers YPV have trained in Africa are now earning a decent life, becoming self-sustainable and role models to the children and their communities.

Budget for ‘55 Trainees’ 

Travel: (trainers – including visas & insurance): €7,600

Local transportation: €600

Food & Beverages (trainees & trainers): $3,500

Supplies:

Printing books: €200

Tarps to give free outreach classes: €3,500

Miscellaneous (training materials equipment): €500

1 laptop (equipment for the refugee camp Dzaleka): €500 

1 bicycle (equipment for the refugee camp Dzaleka): €200

1 Mobile phone (equipment for the refugee camp Dzaleka): €300

House/office construction material (refugee camp Dzaleka): €1.000

TOTAL: €18,000

“Please support us by donating to YPV, so we can be a conduit to bring useful yogic tools to the kids, who are the future of Africa.”