Program Dates: 2008/2009                                                                 Program Director: Shayna Azeez

Heart Back to India is an ongoing program intended to serve orphans and widows of India, bringing assistance to orphan care organizations and empowerment to women.

India has a population of over a billion people--about three times the American population--living in one third of the space; with intense poverty, famine, drought, natural disasters, AIDS, and malaria. 400 million are children.

When parents die in such conditions, their children are left in often tragic circumstances. Over 11 million are currently left without families and homes. On the streets, children are disturbingly vulnerable. Disabled children may be abandoned or used for begging.

Parents in poverty often abandoned baby girls to escape the financial burdens of their dowries. These girls are at risk for prostitution, gang related violence and drug trafficking. Those who are not abandoned may be killed soon after birth or married off at a very young age to men who may be 30 years or more their senior. When their husbands die, these women face another challenge as widows.

There are an estimated 33 million widows in India. Although the plight of the widow has improved since India’s independence in 1947, widow remarriages are still very uncommon, making India the country with the largest widow population in the world. Widowhood is still often considered a curse with social support lacking. Having been married off at a young age instead of getting an education, these women usually lack the skills and knowledge to fend for themselves or fight for their basic rights.

Shelters for orphaned children and widows need assistance. They need hope, love, cheer, and financial support for basic needs.

Through Heart Back to India, Yoga World Reach seeks to research and offer the most valuable means of assistance.

From October 2008 through January 2009, Shayna and Jonathan visited shelters and schools in India and Nepal bringing the joy of yoga and the gift of their hearts, while assessing their greatest needs.

You can help!