On Saturday June 12th, we celebrated our 3rd annual Gala Gala Do Fundraising Dinner & Silent Auction in Burnaby, BC. This once a year event is organized by three of our incredible supporters, Fran Tanner, Joanne Dodge and Beth Connelly and grows and grows each year! 

For the 3rd year in a row, we were amazed by the incredible menu prepared by Spencer and Andree, our volunteer chefs from the Twisted Fork Bistro in Vancouver.  The Gala Gala Do is known for its incredible food and long list of fabulous silent auction items and thanks to our many volunteers and donors, we raised over $4500 towards the operation of our new Birth House in Uganda!

Many thanks to the following for donating towards our silent auction!...

Sculpture Hair Company, Hanna Hak, Lunapads, Suzanne Kingham, Pistol and Burnes, Greg and Cheryl, Christa Hoops, Philip Stephen, Jazz-Ma-Tazz, Michelle Cervo Photography, Tonic Lifestyle Apparel, Padma, Kyna Fletcher, Haley Lorraine Photography, Melissa Horrell, Brenda Feuerstein, Lena Jerabek, Cascadia Soap Co, Paola Balza, YYOGA, Sara Mullin, Hell Pizza, Shoppers Drug Mart Coquitlam, Reflections Books, Surface Collective, Matt Dodge, Michael Garrett, Open Door Yoga, Locus Restaurant, In Style Hair Salon, Profile Aesheticare and Electrolysis, Semperviva Yoga, Zenaida Tanner, Raw Canvas, Phoenix Gymnastics, Cress Spicer, Heart Centre Yoga, Electra Laser, Ora Bags, Planet Organic, Twisted Fork Bistro, Refinery Restaurant, Performance Visual Works.

Lena Jerabek (right), Shanti Uganda Board Member organized the silent auction

Chef Spencer, from The Twisted Fork

Wendy Weymann, Shanti Uganda Treasurer selling door prize tickets

Natalie Angell, Shanti Uganda Executive Director and Fran Tanner, Event Organizer

Nic is now back in Vancouver after spending the winter in Uganda working on the solar and water systems at the Shanti Uganda Birth House. Read through his blog for updates on how we are running our birth house and the most recent photos of the buildings. 

"I am writing now from my desk in Vancouver, 2 months after our arrival home from Uganda.  It was a truly a life changing experience.  I want to share some more of what the last month of our time in Uganda was all about.  Finishing the build was stressful yet rewarding as we made our best effort to get the birth house to a point that it could be used for it’s intended purpose – a safe, friendly environment for women to give birth..."

Continue reading a technical adventure blog about electricity, water and culture in Luwero District, Uganda  

This June, pregnant mamas from all over the Lower Mainland are gathering for a photo shoot for our upcoming prenatal yoga calendar. Funds raised through calendar sales will go towards the Moon Cycle Campaign, a cross Canada cycling initiative to raise funds for the Shanti Uganda Women's Group.  

There a handful of incredible people involved in this fundraising project which is being organized by Shanti Uganda Board Member, Brenna Coupland including TONIC, a local yoga apparel company and the photographers at Free Style Photo.

Recently, Evan from Free Style Photography blogged about the upcoming photo shoot and his connection to Shanti Uganda.

"So, next month Robyn and I will begin shooting a pre-natal yoga calendar, the proceeds of which going to fund the work of the Shanti Uganda Society. But lets back it up just a sec. There is a story here...." 

Read the rest of his blog here

Brenna Coupland, Shanti Uganda Board Member and coordinator of the Moon Cycle Campaign has started up a great fundraising initiative with proceeds going back to the Shanti Uganda Women's Group.

Brenna has paired up with Pistol & BURNES, a Canadian Fair Trade Coffee Roasting company and is currently taking orders for their extensive coffee, tea and hot chocolate products.  

In honour of her commitment to bike from Vancouver to Winnipeg this summer in efforts to raise money towards Shanti Uganda, she has also offered to hand deliver your order - for Vancouverites only - by bike! (Shipping is also possible if you live outside of the city) 

Make your first order by contacting Brenna - brenna@shantiuganda.org 

More about Pistol & BURNES - http://pistolandburnes.com

"We are a full service 100% Canadian coffee roasting company. Our roastery is located in Delta British Columbia.

Pistol & BURNES offers you only the best. We import only the finest green coffees available, roast them for the ultimate in flavor and aroma, then prepare blends that are uniquely our own. By roasting the beans ourselves, we can insure complete quality control and freshness. Our quality control begins with coffee bean selection. We sift through the hundreds of beans available, then decide which are good enough to put our name on. It’s simple by selecting only the finest green beans, we can assure you the best possible cup.

We are family operated and Canadian owned and committed to actions consistent with an environmental conscience in all aspects of our business operations. We at P&B are proud of our Environmental and Social achievements. We’re proud to share this vision of total quality with you, and to share in the possibilities of making the world a better place by using coffee as a medium for a message."

Our Teen girls program began last year and was a bit of a collaborative effort between the incredible gals at Lunapads, the founders of Afri-Pads and the many volunteers who contributed towards the creation of our teen-girls manual. At the time, we were holding yoga classes with teen girls and giving out reusable menstrual pads which were donated by Lunapads. 

Along the way and with the support and guidance of Lunapads, we partnered with Afri-Pads, an amazing non profit established by a handful of Canadians to help provide washable menstrual pads to school girls in rural Uganda. Our teen girls's manual is now complete and thanks to a donation from Afri-Pads and other donors, we're putting 100 girls through our teen-girls program this year. Below is an update from Uganda on the first workshop! 

This week we held our first teen-girls workshops on the Maternity Centre grounds in  Nsaasi village. The girls had a fun filled week and made new supportive friendships. Yoga was a huge hit as many of the girls in the group are daughters of the women in our income generating group and they are now practicing together at home.  From sun salutations to partner poses it was evident that the girls were becoming more aware of, and confident in their bodies.  

The week began by recognizing the importance of women. From collecting firewood and raising children to being musicians and doctors, the girls acknowledged the importance of the many roles women fill in Uganda. Each of the girls chose a mentor, a role model in their life who could guide them and answer their questions about health, sex, HIV and how women can live a better, safer and meaningful life. 

During the interactive workshops the girls were given multiple opportunities to discuss openly and ask questions in a safe environment about safe-sex, healthy relationships, menstruation, the importance of proper nutrition, preventing HIV/AIDS and supporting those living with HIV/AIDS.

The girls were overjoyed when they were given a package of re-usable menstrual pads, which will allow her to attend school and do other activities while she is menstruating.

A few years ago, I met an incredible Vancouver-based yoga instructor, Brenna Coupland. I’m always amazed by the people who get involved and support Shanti Uganda and the creativity they bring to their service, but I was blown away when I returned from Uganda this spring to hear about everything Brenna had been working on!

This year, as a Shanti Uganda Volunteer, Brenna came up with the Moon Cycle Campaign. Below is her description:

“Every 28 days, the moon completes one full cycle. So too, on average, does every woman on the planet. That’s why, on July 25th, 2010, I am taking 28 days (one full moon to the next) to travel from Vancouver, BC to Winnipeg, MB by bike. Through this trip, I hope not only to raise money for Shanti Uganda to uplift women and communities in Africa, but to empower and inspire ALL women! Show your support and make a donation. Let’s roll!” – Brenna Coupland

In an effort to raise funds for our women’s group, Brenna has held multiple fundraisers, written articles on her journey and is getting ready to launch a beautiful prenatal yoga calendar.

This May, our members were so inspired by her dedication that she was elected to serve on our Board of Directors.

MAKE A DONATION: http://www.shantiuganda.org/pages/the-moon-cycle

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR TO GET INVOLVED:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Moon-Cycle/258018504997

ATTEND THE NEXT MOON CYCLE EVENT:

Pedal For Peace
Sunday May 23rd
5:30 – 7:30pm
Rhizome Café
317 East Broadway, Vancouver

Come learn more about The Moon Cycle - one woman's ride from Vancouver to Winnipeg - and how YOU can be involved in the fun! Find out WHO Shanti Uganda is and why it's such a great idea to support them. AND, of course, come hang out with the wicked cycling community of Vancouver in one of the coolest cafes on the East side.

Great prizes have been donated from The Bike Doctor, Lululemon, Open Door Yoga and Our Community Bikes. We will also be raffling a bike from Our Community Bikes worth $250! So bring some extra change for a chance to win!

Light refreshments served - but come with an appetite: The Rhizome Kitchen will be open during the event and the cafe is fully licensed!!

So come! It's going to be a blast, AND it's practically free. Please be as generous as you can with your donation - no one will be turned away!