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AMURT in Nepal: Womens Empowerment

In total 176 participants were provided training on awareness on Gender Based Violence, Legal Education, and Girls Trafficking whilst 77 participants participated in Food Processing Training and 15 participants are enrolled for 3 months tailoring course.
Legal rights workshop in Tekanpur, Sindhupalchok district

Legal rights workshop in Tekanpur, Sindhupalchok district

Initial work for one stitching centre has been established.  Process for selecting the participants for vocational training is on the way. The training program for the women on vegetable is in planning stage and will be implemented during the next rainy season starting in July.

Process of Interaction in community outreach program:

Outreach Program staff have interaction with the community during the community assessment visits and meetings in the target villages. The staff have interactions with the community leaders, school teachers, structured women groups, social workers and local institutions like VDC office, village resource centre, health post, local police post etc. To facilitate the interaction process, we have hired community mobilizers in each VDC since 1st January 2016. These mobilizers help the women groups in their respective areas to organize their monthly meetings, plan to participate in skill training and involve in different income generating activities. The mobilizers are trained on how to interact with the women groups and to support them in empowerment training activities. We also emphasize to promote local resources and production whilst discussing with them.

Participants at girls trafficking awareness session at AMURT field office, Karitok, Sindhupalchok district.

Participants at girls trafficking awareness session at AMURT field office, Karitok, Sindhupalchok district.

Beneficiaries profile

Most of the families in our target areas are low income families. Their children have receiving benefit from education support program from AMURT. About 85 % families are the victims of the mega earthquake of April and May 2015. Most of them are staying in temporary shelters with difficulties. Most of them have lost their job opportunities. The introduction of hands on skill training to start small scale business has helped them to plan and implement some small business activities. There are some women groups and they are functional. They could be effective in implementing grassroots community level programs and also small business activities.

Women are trained in food processing of pickles and potato chips they are now selling in the local market.

Women are trained in food processing of pickles and potato chips they are now selling in the local market.

Level of Participation by the stakeholders:

During the interaction program with the focus group, the women discuss about change and improvement in their life situation. They also identify the needs which included skill training such as food processing, tailoring, soap making, candle making, vegetable cultivation and marketing of the products. Moreover, they asked AMURT to help them to acquire information on legal education, human trafficking, gender based violence and also other useful skill training. AMURT responded to their needs and helped them to organize the training on awareness program and food processing training and basic equipment to one group as requested.

Advanced tailoring workshops in full swing near Kalika Primary school

Advanced tailoring workshops in full swing near Kalika Primary school

Spring a hub/pod of PROUTISTS in Costa Rica

If you have time and passion or ideas, what would be helpful to spring a hub/pod of PROUTISTS in Costa Rica, please don’t hesitate to share or spread this invitation.
These are reasons and also this is how i’m starting to invite:
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Would you be interested to check better  opportunity for yourself,  friends or humanity through community initiative in Costa Rica?

If you or somebody you know are willing to live sustainably ethically in natures surrounding in a communal setting… then welcome to check and Let’s cocreate:
http://fruitariancommunity.tk
Or
http://www.ic.org/directory/purafruta/

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It’s Canadian guy Pom Vincent initiative as you see and maybe know him. He also leading financial part for members of how to get great money while harwesting wild food from wild nature of Canada. So you don’t need to worry much leaving your source of income. Consider it as a chance not to vote your time/you money/knowledge in a barbaric greedy western society.
We just driving down from season their towards Costa Rica gathering. It was great year for me as a rookie. Got 25000 CAD(19000$) in about 4.5 months work and learning observe nature.

It’s gathering time happening now. 2nd Edition Gsuccess mass
https://m.facebook.com/events/1086041628092043

It’s not only about fruits of course. There are strong intentions and weekly classes towards main ethics:
*becoming 80-90% self sustainable ASAP …in next 4-5years with fruit food forest and Permaculture school,
*Studying NVC Non Violent Communication
*Studying ‘Creating Life Together’
*Cruelty-Free and Raw Food

Besides that, we hear passions to create a space and  invite  people to create special groups called Hubs or Pods:
*PROUT socio economic model from AnandaMarga movement;
*Free Energy;
*Family orientated school. Target is 20 families on 50-100hectares land

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Graduation Ceremony at Ananda Marga School in Guatemala

Guatemala is a beautiful land rich in humanity and natural resources. At the same time Guatemala is facing several challenges. The recent elected government is called to demonstrate that corruption can be fought and eradicated. It is known that there is children malnutrition is several localities of Guatemala. The statistics that have been redacted under the Zero Hunger Pact talk very clearly. “Chronic malnutrition is average 59.9% in the population between 3 and 5 years in 166 municipality which are considered as priority for intervention.

There are areas where due to climatic conditions, the harvest was poor and children malnutrition has become even more acute. It is not only the scarcity of food that created malnutrition in the children. There is need for alimentary education and for general assistance. For example only 64.1% of those 166 municipalities has access to electricity. Only 58.9% has access to water. Cooking is done on firewood in 90.3%, on gas in 8.4% and with electricity in 1.2%. The amount of need is huge and there is very little awareness of the consequences of such malnutrition.

In this context Ananda Marga is playing a delicate role. It is running a kindergarten in a very difficult area of Guatemala City. Didi Ananda Tapomaya has been dedicated to help in Guatemala. Margi of Guatemala are doing their best to maintain the present projects in spite of several difficulties. A contact with the Government Department responsible for food security has been activated.

Below are the picture of the Graduation Ceremony in the school of Ananda Marga. It was a very happy moment. Will it be possible to extend more of those happy moment to more children in Guatemala?

Kiirtan Forever

Listening to Baba Nam Kevalam is a very good relaxing activity. Kiirtan has so many benefits that it is quite impossible to list them all.

Singing and dancing kiirtan is superior to just listening. It is a spiritual boon and miracles happen wherever a few people assemble together with the sole purpose to sing and dance unmindfully Baba Nam Kevalam universal mantra.

But to make Kiirtans it is even better and those who endeavor to make more and more new Kiirtans enlighten the path of spirituality for all the people to come.

With this spirit a new band has been created on BANDCAMP.COM , the known platform for music artists on the web. Four albums are already available and among them we mention particularly the new double CD of Krsna recorded in Hyderabad supporting the Adoni Children Home in India. The CD is a fundraiser for a project that need help and support from all.

“KRISHNA CD 18 TRACKS IS 2 CD’S ARE COMPLIED IN ONE CD ARE BABA NAM KEVALAM TUNES MADE IN STUDIO HYDERABAD .Krishna has donated her talent to AM-CHAI-Ananda Marga Children Home for Girls, in ADONI is like 2nd Bombay, half hour to Great Saint Raghavendara Swamy in MANTRALAYA. Andhra Pradesh.

Slide Show 45 Minutes of Social Service in India and Abroad photos; CHILDREN HOME ADONI -INDIA FOR GIRLS

Baba’s Grace, VSS, LFT. Ragu Das, 408-431-6966, Skype ID=ragujee”

Latest news from Ananda Marga school in Nicaragua

“Our students of Centro Educativo Ananda Marga are joining the simulation on what to do if eathquake occur.”

Dada Visnupremananda is very active at the school and service activities take place on a regular basis:

The Comamos Juntos group of volunteers Katie, Nadia and Alma are bringing some vegetables which was collected from the market to cook for tomorrow as always we are doing every wednesday to give vegetarian food to our students so they get used eating and knowing the kind of vegetables that are palatables once it serves well.

Posted by Wilfredo Magsino on Tuesday, September 1, 2015

“The Comamos Juntos group of volunteers Katie, Nadia and Alma are bringing some vegetables which was collected from the market for tomorrow cooking. Every wednesday we give vegetarian food to our students so they get used eating and knowing the kind of vegetables that are palatable and most delicious when they are well prepared and served.”

Open House at Ananda Kanan

“What a fun and inspiring gathering at the open house yesterday! There must have been 50-60 people from all around the Ozarks. There was great food, wonderful music and a fire to sit by while listening. It got a bit chilly later but everybody just moved inside, including Coburn with his fantastic homemade instrument and we all kept visiting. 10 people took dada kbs meditation class and most people took the tour around Ananda Kanan and heard some history of the place.”

The event happened on October 4th and it is highlighted on the facebook page of the Ananda Kanan Ozarks Retreat Center which is also visible on the front page of Crimson Dawn.

Mama D continues to feed the homeless

“When I went undercover in New York City as a homeless man, no one noticed me. I felt what it was like to be a homeless man. People would just past by me and look at me in disgrace. Only one lady was kind enough to give me some food. It was an experience I’ll never forget. So many times we forget how blessed we are. We should not take that for granted. And if we can help someone in need, we should. That’s why after I was done, I walked around and gave food and $100 to every homeless person I saw. They cried and were so grateful. Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

Richard Gere

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Sometimes service goes unnoticed when it is continuous, relentless, day in and day out. Those who really serve don’t make so much news. The food distribution for the homeless in Los Angeles is now happening almost every day. Dada Muktatmananda and his team under the banner of AMURT – Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team is there always on call. To get the latest news I go on their facebook page which is also featured on the front page of Crimson Dawn right below. I find inspiring pictures and quotes not only of the service they do. It is important to raise the consciousness about homelessness. Any person that has the experience to be homeless even for a short time knows that it might happen to anybody, wealthy or not, educated or uneducated. Just a day it happens and it changes the perspective from which you see the world.

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I read under the most recent images: “Another Sunday morning w/ our friends ‪#‎skidrow‬ ‪#‎mamadfeedsthehomess‬. Thank you to all our volunteers”.

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“A long line of hungry people getting a little well deserved relief.”

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I wonder what Dada is thinking. Where is his mind?

A drunken’s night

Fasting in the late moonless night,
the summer day simmered through
the light in to night roofs,
the golden coins all trammeled in to
dark trunks;
I am heading to the mountain like a drunk,
who found his way;
I will sit on the rough grass,
and hear a bird sing,
like a wind of my own heart.
I will think until love overtakes thinking,
much faster than any idea of paradise.
And as the city went tiny like a jewel
shinning down the ravine,
I offer again myself to you!
This counting entrances me,
like singing,
from this fingers instrument;
Where has time gone?

This is the latest poem I find on his personal facebook page. I look for more:

I was found

And you set out
looking for things,
searching for completing
yourself..
The habit you have built
to never yield until it is found,
nothing else could be felt;
Till your deepest need,
go haywire,
burn you like fire,
your inner thirst filling with mirages
in your head;
You could touch insanity with your finger,
from these states you find yourself in,
and in the height of confusion,
you have no illusion you will ever find that
teacher,
on this earth or elsewhere;
But then, he finds you!

And I forget about my little petty things.

India Yoga Wellness Center now running full-time!!

News from Ananda Nagar Yoga Wellness Center

My dear sisters and brothers,

Namaskar! I feel real pleasure as the images of you all float through my mind –each with whom I have a special and unique relationship. How fortunate I am to have you for friends!
And fortunate for the help many of you have given– so that the Yoga Wellness Center in Ananda Nagar, India has now opened. To think that in one of the most spiritual places in the world we finally have our own naturopathic healing center, already getting excellent results – well, simply speaking, it’s exhilarating.

Some of you are planning to come for health purpose or spiritual upliftment, or more commonly, both. And you’ll get it.
In April, exactly as planned, a number of patients stayed in the Center and benefited from our initial on-the-job training for staff. Since then some of the staff have given introductory talks in numerous locations in and around Ananda Nagar.

As a result we have had more patients – both poor and not-so-poor –with more excellent results. These included helping a chronically emaciated person to gain healthy weight, overcoming high blood sugar, eliminating severe skin disease, relieving various types of severe chronic body pain, enabling the overweight to lose some kilograms, overcoming degenerative nerve disorder, and more.
Brother Nirainjan (of the UK) has been helping enormously; he wears many hats there, not only as a fantastic chef, but also as a therapist. Besides the assisting Dadas, all the other 5 fulltime staff are from the local area, including manager Dayal.

Everyone is welcome to come as a patient, no matter what belief, group etc. The Center is a hive of spiritual unity.
I will probably be there 3 more times this year. Next will be in August, then October/early Nov, and finally in December. If you are considering coming, please let me know ASAP before I irrevocably fix my airplane reservations. Even if you are not sure, have not decided, if it’s just a possibility, please let me know. This is important for planning.

At the same time, though almost everything is set up, some of you asked for clarification about any help we still need.

First, if any person is skilled in gardening, construction, therapy, office work, music, or art– or just has a strong desire to help – we will gladly consider your application to come as a volunteer.

Second, we still have financial need, although it is now only about U$15,000. Before opening, our need was substantially more, and fortunately some donations came to enable us to open with minimal (though beautiful) facilities.
For example, we still need a diesel generator, the physical set-up of our solar energy (we already have main elements), a large capacity solar water heater (especially in winter time this will be very much needed), some of the basic running and  staff expenses until we are completely self-sufficient, establishment of an extensive vegetable garden which is adaptable to both very dry and very wet seasons (still seeking the appropriate knowledge/system for this).

If you would like to donate, please let me know, and I will email you the best easy system for doing so.
If you are only able to give something in the future, please email me regarding when that will be, so that for now i can take a loan from another account of exactly the amount that you are happy to pledge.

We welcome your advice, your questions, or any other involvement. And of course we welcome you to come!

Yours brotherly,
Dada Dharmavedananda


Some inspirational stories:

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Mainju is from a poor local village. Suffering from a motor neuro degenerative disorder her body continuously shaking, she had little control over her general movement. Months of medicine were useless. Doctors said her condition would continue to deteriorate until she would be   paralyzed like her father, and that nothing could help her. After 16 days with us her shaking stopped, she had no dizziness and body control had vastly improved. Her family were ecstatic to see how her health and mental state had improved. Now at home Mainju continues to improve because of her new lifestyle.


Dada Navarunananda before and after 3 weeks of therapy:

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Similarly, Dada’s arms and some other parts of his body were badly affected before treatment while after treatment they showed immense improvement. And of course this without any dependency on medicine.

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Our leaflet for Ananda Nagar Yoga Wellness Center:

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How to get to Ananda Nagar.

Take the train from either Kolkata or New Delhi to Bokaro, from there get a train to Pundag, West Bengal. This is a local train that takes about 15min (17km)
bd545196-d12f-4c93-adac-1addb750318bWhen I’m travelling outside Philippines, Tel +63 915 4049321 this number is only for text messages.
Ananda Nagar Numbers:
+91 7864 044 128
+91 9547 617 522
+91 9102 300 288

Save Ananda Marga Master Unit in Guatemala

Fund Raising Campaign for Ananda Maya in Guatemala. Target 2.750 USD to cover legal expenses. Margi of Guatemala have brought a proposal for rescuing the property which has been invaded by an intruder claiming that he has purchased the land legally. The legal option seems to be the most reasonable course of action.

“Definitely we are going to need financial help to clear out the legal situation of the Sectorial Brother´s Master Unit ” Ananda Maya ” in Guatemala.
Your support is important and we will also do whatever is needed to send you information to accomplish our goal. We need to let the margi know, in the whole NY Sector, about this situation, but also, let them know first that we are talking about the Sectorial Brother´s Master Unit, that Baba also gave its name Ananda Maya.”

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