Our Beloved Community,
I am heartbroken over the global trauma and tragedies impacting communities of culture in our nation and across the globe, most recently impacting my home country of India.
Our families, team and loved ones have all been impacted by the high surge and circumstances of India’s second COVID 19 wave. My dear mother, my Amma, after my father’s passing has been stuck in isolation there over the last 18 months while we work to safely bring her back to us.
My parents taught me the transformative power of meditation and mindfulness practice and the responsibility we share in leaving the world a better place than how we found it. This is a deep seeded cultural commitment, grounded in thousands of years of traditions, spiritual and religious beliefs.
The life giving source of our Breath is sacred and a human right. Yet, we have heard the cry and plea of, “I can’t breathe,” by our communities.
We now have a nation, seeking permission to breathe. With India’s growing movement of #LetUsBreathe.
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Breath is the foundation of human existence; breathe is life giving. It is what we struggle for at the moment of birth and enjoy till we draw or last breathe. Yet our breath is being stolen from us due to systems of oppression that perpetuate barriers to access, equity and inclusion. The gasping nation belies the honor of all beings and denies the dignity the people of India deserve.
The reality is that distancing is a privilege that many, especially in India, do not have the privilege of space. Instead, we have the blessing of living among multigenerational family members close to neighbors and friends. The reality is that many do not have the luxury of hand washing when there is no consistent access to running water.. The fact is that India’s population of over 1 billion people do not have access to the much needed hygiene kits and masks to combat this pandemic and keep families, elders, loved ones, and community members safe.
Together, we must do everything we can to take action to alleviate suffering and help.
The reality is if we cannot help India manage and overcome COVID-19, we as a global community will not overcome COVID-19.
We must combine #mindfulness with #mindfulaction. Contemplation must be combined with constructive action, so here’s what you can do NOW:
We at Ivy Child understand that these are incredibly challenging and stressful times.
Tragically, we can expect the number of infections to rise—possibly along with our concern about what the future holds, and the stress related to uncertainty, anticipation, and fear is traumatic and can cause an adverse impact on our health.
While the world is uniting in efforts to battle the problem we’re facing, we feel it is crucial to find ways to serve our community in the best possible manner through mindfulness practice. How individuals respond to an outbreak depends on many external factors but maintaining our wellbeing through practicing mindfulness is a powerful and universal coping tool for all. We encourage you to use and share some of the resources we have made available online for free.
In honoring and prioritizing the health and well‐being of our community, we at Ivy Child have shifted all of our programs and activities to virtual platforms. For our partners and affiliates that serve as emergency sites, with limited access, we are working to find solutions together as this situation evolves. We recognize our program sites serve as safe havens to our community and may access food, love, healthcare and enriching learning opportunities. We are working hard with our partners to collaborate to best meet the needs of our community honoring the state and federal guidelines. If you’d like to join forces with us to help our community during the COVID-19 crisis, please donate now to our Emergency Fund today.
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YOUR support through a one-time or sustainable recurring donation will help make it happen. Within the next 3-6 months Ivy Child commits to the following, with the resources we have on hand in the short term.
- Execute $100,000 to teachers and youth ambassadors in Ivy Child International’s network and mobilize them to share practice, prevention management and wellness strategies to stop the spread of COVID-19 in India (July 1)
- Distribute the 10000 masks and hygiene kits to our healthcare partners and families (July 1)
- Provide 1000, $50 micro recovery grants to vulnerable families (June 1)
We invite YOU to be a part of our long-term strategy:
- Work with our global network of teachers and partners to develop wellbeing toolkits and digital learning tools to build a culturally and linguistically responsive digital library of resources.
- Provide $1 million in direct funds, training and development resources to our community.
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Ivy Child International has always worked to find ways to benefit the community through enhancing our wellbeing through mindfulness. We want you to know that we are here and will continue to support you through these trying times. Ivy Child devotes all of its efforts to building equity for all and honoring the inherent dignity of all people. We must rise up and take a stand to hold systems that perpetuate barriers and structural oppression accountable. Please feel free to connect with us as a partner and support us in this journey.
We at Ivy Child stand in our truth reinforcing and leaning into our lineage, heritage and faith traditions at this moment, where COVID 19 has taken the breath away of an entire nation.
As an Indian woman leader, my commitment is personal. We stand in solidarity with our community and ask our community partners to do the same.
Abundant thanks for your unwavering support to our organization. Please be assured that despite these very challenging times, our mission, core values, and vision for global wellbeing will stay the same, and we will never give up on our fundamental belief in the power of peace. We look forward to working with you now and in the future to build a healthier world.
May we all be safe and well as we take action encouraging our loved ones to do the same, as an act of generosity and compassion towards all.
Abundant thanks.
Warmly,
Rose and the Ivy Child Family