Did you know there are over 117,000 refugees and over 39,000 pending asylum cases* in the UK?
The majority of refugees and asylum seekers we work with have recently experienced a major depressive episode and live isolated from their families, resulting in both physical and mental health problems. These people are some of the most marginalised, underserved and at risk in our society.
You can be a part of that solution and make a difference.
Over March and April, we are celebrating Warriors for Women. A celebration of the people who take a stand to make positive change and a celebration of yoga itself. Starting this month, organise your own Warriors for Women yoga or meditation class any time until the end of April and enable your practice to give yoga to people forced to be refugees and asylum-seekers, including survivors of trafficking and modern-day slavery.
You don’t have to own your own yoga studio, or even work at one. Be creative and resourceful, and devise your own Warriors for Women setting; use your office space to teach a lunchtime class, or push the sofas aside in your living room and invite your friends over. And, if you do run a studio, that’s great too! Fancy dedicating a class to our cause?
Every pound you raise will help deliver positive change for women and men who have experienced atrocities and cruelty including torture and sexual violence in conflict. They tell us the yoga classes OURMALA offers help to relieve their pain and anxiety, helps them to sleep and start to restore self-esteem and hope, as well as a much-needed sense of belonging in a safe community.
Stand strong, together, and celebrate International Women’s Day this March 8th or any time till April-end with Warriors for Women – helping people who are trying to rebuild their difficult and disrupted lives in the process. #Warriorsforwomen
* http://www.unhcr.org/uk/statistics/unhcrstats/576408cd7/unhcr-global-trends-2015.html