Ainslie Cook - President

Ainslie is currently working on finishing up her Master of Social Work degree at UBC.  She holds a BA in Sociology and International Development Studies from McGill University.  Having always been conscious of global issues, she has travelled extensively, including helping to build a kindergarten classroom in rural Thailand, teaching English in South Korea, and visiting Uganda last year.  For the past four years, she has worked supporting women affected by addiction, mental health, and violence, primarily in Surrey and Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.  She is passionate about women's issues and was drawn to Shanti for those reasons.  Having attended a few of Shanti's events in the past year, she is now very excited to be serving on the Board of Directors. 

While dedicated to school and Shanti Uganda, Ainslie also really enjoys travelling, yoga, running, hiking, and camping throughout BC. 

Lena Jerabek - Vice President & Midwifery Sponsorship Director

Lena is delighted to join Shanti Uganda’s board of directors for 2010.  A previous volunteer with Shanti Uganda, she is passionate about improving maternal and infant health and empowering communities through education and participation.   Lena brings a background in marketing, sales, fundraising and microfinance and after several years in the corporate world, left for South Africa where she worked on microfinance programs for housing in the townships of Cape Town.  Lena is a trained birth doula and is excited about increasing awareness of the important work that our midwives do in Uganda in her role as Midwifery Sponsorship Director. Currently expecting her second child later this year, Lena is a mama to a very spirited toddler son and loves to spend her spare time outside with her family and dog as well as traveling, hiking, practicing yoga and surfing whenever waves are near. 

Wendy Weymann – Treasurer

With a background in finance and experience as a certified yoga teacher, Wendy brings a broad set of skills to the board of directors. She studied Financial Management at BCIT and worked in several different accounting offices before having her two beautiful children and focusing her time on yoga and motherhood. In March 2010 Wendy was able to travel to Uganda, see the birth house and meet all the wonderful Ugandans that Shanti supports. One of the highlights of her trip was teaching a savings training workshop to the women in our income generating group and providing them all with solar powered calculators. In her spare time Wendy enjoys reading, wakeboarding, gardening and laughing with friends and family. Wendy has been a long time supporter of The Shanti Uganda Society, and is a strong believer in Seva (selfless service.) She believes that if we all give a little, we can make a huge difference, not only in our own lives, but in the lives of others as well. “What inspires me the most about Shanti is seeing the difference one person can make; I’ve watched Shanti grow from one person into this large organization that is creating positive change both here in Vancouver and in Uganda.” 

Brenna Coupland - Secretary & Wholesale Director 

Brenna is a certified hatha, prenatal and kids yoga instructor teaching in Vancouver and Burnaby. Before moving to BC in 2008, Brenna studied Culinary Arts and Design in Winnipeg and aspired to become a chef. She is currently studying holistic nutrition with The CSNN and is working towards becoming a doula. Brenna is passionate about natural birth and the importance of community, and so finds much joy in coordinating events and fundraisers for various great causes. She is excited and honored to be able to serve on Shanti Uganda's board of directors this year.

Between yoga classes, studying and working on various fund raising projects, Brenna can be found riding her bicycle, rain or shine, throughout the streets of Vancouver. This summer, Brenna will ride her bike to Winnipeg to raise awareness about Shanti Uganda in the eastern provinces. She will be working with Sara Mullin to broaden Shanti's wholesale program so that more people can enjoy the beautiful products crafted by the women's group in Uganda.

Lindsay Marsh - Grant Writing Director

Lindsay manages a provincial diversity program, Safe Harbour: Respect for All, with the non-profit organization, the Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC. Equipped with a BA from UBC, LIndsay ventured into the rice paddy fields of Japan, where she spent three years teaching, learning the subtle art of taiko drums, and coordinating an international volunteer network with grassroots projects in S.E Asia. She also discovered her passion for yoga as a form of healing with children while volunteering at orphanages. After living in a multiethnic but impoverished community on the Thai/Burmese border, she gained insights into the challenges faced by migrants and refugees, particularly ethnic minority children and women. Lindsay strongly believes that providing children with access to both formal and non-formal multicultural education in an environment free of conflict will create countless positive transformations in society. 

Lindsay returned to her hometown of Vancouver to pursue a Post-Baccalaureate diploma in Sustainable Community Development with SFU. She believes in the value of intercultural communication, community-driven initiatives, cross-cultural partnerships, innovative fundraising and media outreach. Inspiring change globally and acting locally continues to drive her work and her desire to research and write grants as a Director with the Shanti Uganda Society. When she's not wiring or fundraising, Lindsay can be found dancing, kayaking and enjoying vegetarian feasts with friends.  

Sara Mullin - Wholesale Director

Sara is a wellness coach, counselor and yoga instructor who is passionate about holistic health from within and the empowerment of both individuals and communities to heal themselves. She feels aligned with Shanti Uganda's mission and vision and has been a volunteer for the past two years. 

She is grateful to be in service on the Board of Directors and inspired by the amazingly creative and resilient Ugandan women whom she represents in North America. She offers her blend of healing work in combination with a strong background in fashion, textiles and marketing to the board. She is excited to share the crafts made by the women in the sustainable income-generating group and assist in the natural growth and expansion of the wholesale distribution. 

Sarah Reeves - Grant Writing Director

Sarah recently finished her undergraduate degree at UFV in History and is taking a year off school to explore her passion in international development. With a strong interest in grassroots initiatives and sustainable community development, Shanti's projects naturally resonated deeply with her. Having had the opportunity to intern at a local settlement service this past semester she was able to work with many sub-Saharan African immigrants and refugees learning about many different countries and cultures. Along with working with these wonderful people she was able to develop and hone her grant writing skills helping out with some of their grant proposals, making her a good fit as a grant writing director along with Lindsay. Some of Sarah's other interests when she's not helping out at Shanti are reading, yoga, baseball, camping, and traveling!