Several items, including these hematite mala beads, were raffled off during the ‘Yoga For a Cause’ fundraising event on Saturday afternoon to benefit the ‘Keep Girls in School Project’.
As part of India Week at the University of Wyoming, Yoga for a Cause attracted more than 20 participants who rolled out their yoga mats in the Family Room of the Wyoming Union, Saturday.
“Yoga for a Cause is one of our annual fundraising and awareness-raising events,” Dr Bonnie Zare said. “Every morning the 100 Aarti Home kids do yoga—this way we express our solidarity together.”
Students from Zare’s Women of India class worked to put the event together.
“There are actually three groups of students who raise awareness for the Keep Girls in School project and Aarti Home,” Hope Dewell said. “There is a public speaking group that goes around to local schools, the Yoga for a Cause group, and an independent group that designs their own project. This year, the independent group, sponsored by Milaap, organized a Bollywood night where they showed the movie ‘3 Idiots’ and served chai and cookies.”
This is the third year the event has been held, and through donations and raffle ticket sales, Yoga for a Cause raised more than $150 for the Keep Girls in School project.
“The Keep Girls in School project is a multi-year campaign to help spread awareness about daughter devaluation and the wonderful mindset change that is being promoted at Aarti Home,” Zare said.
“The goal of Aarti Home is to protect abandoned children, especially girls, in India. Aarti Home also strives to empower women so they have the ability to make their own decisions,” Lauren Pickett said in an email. “Aarti Home is important because it allows abandoned girls to get an education and it gives them a chance to have a successful life. It is also really important because it gives women the tools they need to earn money and have a sense of independence.”
“We chose to put on Yoga for a Cause because yoga is such a common part of Indian culture. Yoga means ‘union’ and the different positions within yoga signify the joining of the individual to something greater,” Pickett said. “I think Aarti Home is just like yoga because it brings together many individuals into one greater cause. Together, the people of Aarti Home have fought for the rights of women both young and old.”
