LOVE

Even
after
all this time
the sun never says to the earth,

"You owe me."
Look what happens with a love like that -
it lights the whole world.

*Hafiz*

Your Donations Benefit...

Here is information on the partners and projects already creating beautiful service in Cape Town that will benefit from your donations, and some specific information on what we will accomplish:

LINAWO CHILDREN'S HOME: a residential home that cares for abandoned, neglected and orphaned children as a result of substance abuse, poverty and/or HIV/AIDS. Linawo currently provides temporary and permanent residential, physical and emotional care for 15 children between the ages of 1 and 12 years. Care will continue until the children are 18 years of age when we hope to further support them through tertiary/higher education. Education funds have been started for this purpose. The long term mission of the home is not merely to provide food and shelter for children but to rehabilitate their lives and develop good and honest characters so that they can become adults how make an effective contribution to our society. Their vision is to have a number of satellite homes in different communities around the country where not more than 20 children are cared for on one premises so as to maintain a family environment.

SOUTH AFRICAN WHOLE GRAIN BREAD PROJECT: aims to establish community-based microbakeries to produce fresh, high quality, whole grain bread to improve the nutrition of health-compromised and malnourished adults and children. The bread will help satisfy the dietary needs of malnourished HIV/AIDS positive individuals who need to improve their health in order to allow retroviral drugs to work effectively. In addition to the health objectives, the baking initiative has been designed as a small business/ social development project that will encourage income generation opportunities for South Africans living with HIV/AIDS. We will fund a brand new bakery with this project.

CHRISTEL HOUSE SOUTH AFRICA: (CHSA) breaks the cycle of poverty through education, health and empowerment. It currently serves 688 children from some of the most destitute, violent and crime- ridden communities of Cape Town. In spite of the challenging conditions to which these students return every night, they have hopes and dreams of future success and self-sufficiency. This remarkable school opened in 2002 for students in grades 1 through 4, and construction of a new facility commenced in 2008. There is now space for a full Senior School Library, but no books to fill it. Consequently, the 360 students in grades 7 through 12 have no reading material beyond their textbooks. Off the Mat will fund the purchase of books to fill the Senior School Library, and then volunteer to protect, catalogue, index and shelve these books during the groups’ trip to Cape Town in 2011.

BAPHUMELELE HALFWAY HOUSE: The Baphumelele project is already a thriving service system with a children's home, hospice, micro-financing foundation, and more. We will construct a recovery house that will allow young people to begin the process of reintegration with society, whilst providing monitoring and support, creating livelihood opportunities by providing education as well improving capacities for young people. Creation of a farm residence will assist youth who have left highly structured institutions to adjust to and reenter society and live within its accepted norms and standards as well being capable of independence.

GOLD PEER EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT AGENCY: GOLD is a dynamic not-for-profit organization playing an important role in the transformation of under-served communities in South Africa, Botswana and Zambia. GOLD (Generation of Leaders Discovered) is rolling out a strategic long-term youth peer education model that focuses on equipping youth to help education in difficult circumstances and to promote the holistic well being of their peers and ultimately their communities in a structured and sustainable manner.

EARTHCHILD PROJECT: The beautiful team at The Earthchild Project focuses on the holistic development of children, teachers, schools and communities. Their aim is to create meaningful and sustainable change by providing practical skills in how to live a more balanced and fulfilling life with a focus on self-awareness, health and wellness, and the environment. Earthchild wants to construct a district-wide after-school classroom for the children of Cape Town, with everything from homework assistance, arts, yoga, meditation, empowerment and hospice services.

I hope this provides for you more in-depth information about these important and incredibly worthy causes. If you have any further questions, please don't ever hesitate to contact me!

Namaste.

2010 Global Seva Challenge: South Africa - THE BASICS

Friends, Hello, and Welcome to my blog, intended to spread the word and keep supporters in the loop about my Global Seva Challenge: South Africa.

Your WHAT, you ask?

Precisely. I'm so glad you're here.

First, I'll just give you the basic details of WHAT this is! Very soon I'll invite you into my psyche and heart by sharing the WHY behind my endeavor.

The Global Seva Challenge is an act of selfless service through a US non profit organization Off the Mat, Into the World. Each year OTM selects one community in crisis in an under-served population, and asks participants to commit to raising significant funds for a collection of powerful local projects aimed at creating lasting positive change. The changes in Cambodia and Uganda as a result of Off the Mat's former projects have been nothing short of DIVINE.

This year's challenge is focusing on the crises of HIV/AIDS, orphaned youth, illiteracy, hunger, poverty, and the widespread devastating effects of apartheid in Cape Town, South Africa. The mission includes supporting a beautiful orphan home, building a half way house, whole grain bakery, district-wide after school classroom serving 688 children, modern high school library, peer mentorship services, and more. It is likely that OTM will raise nearly $500,000 for these projects that have the power to radically transform this region and provide an outlook of possibility and hope for a currently devastated youth population. A portion of the total amount raised will go to support the continued expansion and sustainability of the Urban Seva Project (Los Angeles), as well as administrative support for all OTM programs and projects.

Inspiring, right??? Right. And this is where I come in.

I HAVE COMMITTED TO RAISING $20,000 FOR THIS PROJECT BY DECEMBER 15, 2010!

And, once (and only if) I reach this goal, I will personally travel to South Africa in February of 2011, to provide hands-on Seva (selfless service), and Bare Witness to these projects' miraculous manifestations, connect and support those who will be touched by the work, and share the journey with you all every step of the way.

Sara, how on EARTH are you going to raise $20,000?!?!?!?!

That, my Friends, is where YOU come in! I need your help, and I offer you a chance to be part of something beautiful, divine, miraculous, and powerfully loving through my efforts.

The best ways to begin?

• Follow my blog.
• Invite your friends.
• Donate personally, if you are able.
• Invite friends to donate.
• Spread the word about the blog via Facebook, Twitter, Email, and social media.
• Brainstorm whether you know anyone who may wish to give or links to media to raise awareness.
• And perhaps comment here, to give me a little LOVE. You have no idea how much it warms my heart and helps me move forward to continue to do this work.

Thank you all for visiting, for reading, and for being in my life. May your day be filled with Love, Light, and Wonder.

NAMASTE.