shawnalight@gmail.com

Maloto

I have to do an about face for Decembers “Manifest Monthly: Yoga Workshops to Deepen Your Physical Practice While Giving Back” organization!  And, today is Giving Tuesday, so what better day to announce this deeply meaningful organization to me than today!

For Decembers ‘Manifest Monthly’, we will be giving proceeds to Maloto!  Maloto means “to dream” in the local Malawian language of Tumbuka.

We will use Food Bank of NY for January’s Manifest Monthly, don’t worry! And, thank you for understaning.  Learn more about WHY I did this, in the letter below.

Please register TODAY for Manifest Monthly, December Edition, on Sunday, December 20th, 11am-12:30pm!  We will use the peak pose of Headstand as our inspiration. All you have to do is email me with the subject “Head and Heart”! 

Why is Maloto dear to me?  Because I traveled to Malawi in 2013 and spent time with the kids and women of Maloto.  I have had the honor of holding many conversations with Anna Keys, the founder, and her heartbreaking, yet incredible story for the reason of why Maloto came to be.  And, I just found out that they have a big goal…

 

The goal is to raise $100,000 before December 31st for their Scholarship Fund to offset tuition, room and board for students whose families would not otherwise be able to afford to send their children to school.

 

Our support can have a monumental impact in a country where less than 40% of children attend secondary school, and 1% attend college.  Keep reading and watching to learn more about this incredible organization…

 

Listen HERE to Anna’s story on “Enlighten: Uplift & Inspire” with Dr. Deborah Adamy
*Anna shares the story of attending her fourth sister’s funeral, where many children she didn’t know arrived. She discovered that these children were orphans and showed up because they were starving and they knew there would be food at a funeral. That inspired the beginning of Maloto, a non-profit, community based organization that started out feeding a meal to 20 children once a week, and now feeds 350 children a warm, nutritious meal 3 times a week. Maloto has expanded to include after-school programs, an early childhood class, a primary school and an international secondary academy.

Having just celebrated its 12 year anniversary, Maloto’s mission is to feed, educate and empower the children and women of Malawi.   

Listen HERE to my original podcast with Deb, on “Enlighten: Uplift & Inspire”, to hear me tell the tales from our trip together to Malawi! If you want only my Malawi trip experience, feel free to fast forward to 29 minutes into the podcast. Such heart-opening experiences, to say the least.  

I have been forever touched by those children and women.  They stay with me today, in my heart, mind, and the their language; “I love you” will always come out of my heart when I smile and say it in Tumbuka, “Gokutama Imwe”!  Imagine 40 kids in a HUGE circle, all staring at me, following my silly yoga moves and heart felt dances that would make them laugh, and then all of us chanting back and forth to each other “I love you”, “Gokutama Imwe”, again and again for what felt like forever, and we could have gone on forever! 
*In the pictures above, you see me leading the youngest kids for our closing ceremony performance, my square on the wall inside the auditorium that we help paint and decorate while we were there, me in head dress made by the women for me while with one of the youngest children who arrived each day for a hot meal, and me with one of the women of Kwithu Kitchen prepping a meal.  Kwithu is the C.B.O. ran by the women of Maloto to raise money to feed the kids by growing tomatoes, canning them, and selling them.  All part of Maloto!

If you feel like giving today, on Giving Tuesday, you can donate directly to Maloto HERE.
Or, send me your email registration for “Manifest Monthly” with the subject “Head and Heart”; and then send me your donation for the workshop to either venmo or Zelle; $20 suggested donation.
vemmo: @shawna-emerick
zelle: shawnalight@gmail.com

Thank you (watch the kids say it below!)!! Then, watch Anna Keys speak!

Breathe and Believe.