   
Dear Yoginis and Yogis,We are happy to send you the first AZAHAR Foundation Newsletter since the recent launching of our website www.azaharfoundation.org. For the last three years AZAHAR Foundation has been developing a vocational Yoga program for young Cambodians from challenging backgrounds (see movie). As the president and founder of the organization I have recently traveled to Cambodia, accompanied by three board members and one staff member. This enables us to provide you with some first-hand information about the situation on the ground and the progress that has been made since the beginning of the project.  In collaboration with Jivamukti Yoga School London we organized a Yoga retreat for 20 Western Yoga students and nine Cambodian children from Phnom Penh from age 10 to 20. Yoga means to yoke or to unify. Practicing Yoga in the same class room and visiting the beautiful sites of Angkor Wat together was a truly unifying experience and allowed participants to experience the meaning of Yoga and the complexity of Cambodian culture on a deeper level.I am so grateful to have had this wonderful opportunity to come to Cambodia, meet the children, practice Yoga and learn so much at the same time. I will forever cherish the memory of swimming in the waterfall with you and the kids, seeing everyone so happy and surrounded by the beautiful monks and rainbows. Honestly, that was one of the most beautiful days of my life! (Jessie, Yogini from London)  After the Yoga retreat we spent a week in Phnom Penh where we worked with our local partner organizations Nataraj Yoga Center and Kramma Yoga Cambodia. Through our sponsorship programs we are currently providing for basic needs, Yoga classes as well as for part-time or fulltime English schooling for 15 children from Kien Khleang Orphanage Center. Kien Khleang means hope in Khmer. Yoga helps them deal with negative emotions and difficult memories, they learn to resolve internal and external  conflicts in a nonviolent way and their self-confidence grows. English schooling is important for better job opportunities and for leadership skills nationally and internationally. I feel it is very important for us to learn English, because without English it is very difficult to find a job in Cambodia (En Dara, 20 years, Cambodian, studying English for three years).  AZAHAR Foundation is also supporting a Yoga Teacher Training run by Nataraj Yoga center and Kramma Yoga, where currently seven students are trained to become some of the first Khmer Yoga teachers. They are already teaching about 250 children and young adults from five different organizations and schools. Having Cambodians teach Cambodians with common spiritual and cultural values, in their own language, gives the project a highly effective level of sustainability. We would like to thank you for your steadfast support that reaches us
in so many different ways. It is our strong wish to grow our program
and to be able to sponsor more children towards healthy
personal development, and to become agents of social change and
inspiration. We currently need sponsors for additional young people
who have recently been selected to participate in advanced Yoga and
English education. We also need support to maintain and expand the Yoga
program and to sponsor trainees at the Nataraj Yoga center. If you wish to obtain further information about sponsorship categories, and learn on how to donate, click here.NamasteYogeswari
   
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