Shanti Uganda inquiries:
info@shantiuganda.org
The Shanti Uganda Society
607 - 228 East 7th Avenue, Vancouver BC
V5T 0A1 Canada
The Shanti Uganda Society incorporated in the Province of BC in 2008, became a registered Canadian Charity in 2009, and a registered Uganda NGO in 2011. Shanti is a Sanskrit word meaning peace. It reflects our belief that peace begins within. In order for communities to develop a greater sense of solidarity and unity, they must first allow themselves to heal from within and act from a place of love and compassion.
History
The war in Northern Uganda has been called the most neglected humanitarian emergency in the world today. For the past 23 years, the Lord’s Resistance Army and The Government of Uganda have been waging a war that has left nearly two million innocent civilians displaced. Millions of children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS and thousands of women die annually in childbirth. An entire generation has never known peace…
Our Story
The Shanti Uganda Society began with a vision to bring the healing power of yoga and conscious birth to communities experiencing trauma in Uganda. Kim Ridgewell and Natalie Angell began to discuss ways to make this vision a reality and with the support of friends and family created ‘Shanti Uganda.' Our first programs included teen workshops for Ugandan youth, continuing education workshops for midwives and supporting an existing women's income-generating group. Within a year, we expanded our reach, established a new women's group and graduated 28 HIV positive women. Between 2008 - 2009, Shanti Uganda ran multiple birth education workshops for midwives, provided over 100 Safe Birth Kits, graduated over 28 HIV positive women from our savings and craft training program and established a reusable menstrual pad distribution program. In 2009 and with the financial support of Off The Mat Into The World, we constructed the Shanti Uganda Birth House & Learning Centre in Nsaasi village and are now working towards our long term goal of reducing maternal and infant mortality in Uganda.
Shanti Uganda in the Press
