Press Release: Yoga community comes together to support HOPE

Yoga teachers across the UK are coming together to support a charity serving some of the most disadvantaged children in India, ahead of International Day of Yoga.

Joining the Yoga for HOPE movement, a growing band of yoga teachers will be holding classes in aid of The Hope Foundation for Street Children (HOPE) this June.

HOPE was set up in 1999 to restore human rights to disadvantaged street-connected children and families in Kolkata, India. During its 25-year history, the organisation has touched the lives of 3 million individuals in Kolkata.

HOPE Patron and yoga teacher Simon Low, who will be launching Yoga for HOPE with an online 90-minute Yoga and Somatics class on 1 June, said: “I love and am so grateful for the support shown by so many teachers and students of yoga toward The Hope Foundation. Every child, every member of HOPE staff, our whole team is immensely grateful for the difference you make. Your support enables thousands of homeless and often abandoned children from the streets and slums of Kolkata to receive healthcare, education and support, each year. 

"Your support helps HOPE provide secure Residential Childcare Centres for hundreds of boys and girls, although this is still a fraction of the need for safe shelter in Kolkata. Your donations help exploited and at-risk women, find safety, skills, and shelter. You bring light to one of the most challenged street and slum populations of the world - the last few years due to the pandemic being some of the most challenging since HOPE’s beginnings."

Christina Gill - yoga teacher, entrepreneur, and author – who is holding a class in aid of HOPE on 8 June, said: “I launched Free Spirit Yoga wear 10 years ago and have been ethically manufacturing in India since. It is a country dear to my heart - having travelled many times there and experiencing the beauty, the miracles, the light, and joy of this vast country despite all its difficulties. 

“As well as providing ethical work to the many skilled craftsmen there, I wanted to give something back to local communities, so I visited HOPE in Kolkata in May 2016 and was overwhelmed with the work that was being done and the difference HOPE are making to these children's lives.  Not only giving handouts but nurturing them to be able to build sustainable lives for themselves - a real HOPE for their future.

“After spending some time chatting, playing, studying and even teaching some fashion design skills to the young women, I was so inspired. Hearing the hopes, dreams & aspirations of these children - just like any privileged child in the west - to become doctors, engineers or artists - was a truly humbling experience and thanks to the HOPE foundation they are able to have these dreams realised! I have visited several times since then and each time am consistently inspired with the passion, commitment and dedication HOPE have to their staff, their projects and of course the children.”

Meanwhile, yoga teacher and HOPE child sponsor, Caroline Biddle added: “I was first introduced to The Hope Foundation through a weekend of yoga in aid of the charity hosted by Simon Low about 15 years ago. Maureen (Forrest, the founder of HOPE) was there, and I found her so inspiring. As a yoga teacher myself I have always felt indebted to India and the yoga it has shared with the world, and I wanted to give something back.”

Virginia Lee, who supports HOPE through sales of her Mala beads, said “From the birth of Venus Mala, I was dedicated to giving back to the culture that has enriched our lives with profound wisdom and spiritual depth. The Hope Foundation was first introduced to me by my yoga teacher Simon Low and its work deeply resonated with me due to its unwavering commitment to improving the lives of those in need in India, the birthplace of yoga and mala beads”.

HOPE is calling on more yoga teachers to join Yoga for HOPE and give back to the country that gave the world yoga. More information about the campaign can be found on: www.thehopefoundation.org.uk/iyd

HOPE Head of Fundraising Juliette Whittaker said: “The yoga community continues to show unwavering compassion and support for our charity.  We are very grateful for their commitment, and I would encourage others to find out more about our Yoga for HOPE movement.”

Ends

Notes to the editor

1. HOPE Patron and yoga teacher Simon Low is available for interview, as are yoga teachers Christina Gill, Caroline Biddle and Virginia Lee.
2. Follow HOPE: Facebook @TheHopeFoundationUK, Instagram @the_hope_foundation_uk, Twitter @HOPE_UK
3. Founded in 1999 by Irish humanitarian Maureen Forrest, HOPE has been steadfast in its commitment to providing a brighter future for those living in poverty and facing the harsh realities of life on the streets in Kolkata. The charity runs 57 projects in the city including four creches, 10 Residential Childcare Centres and a state-of-the-art hospital.
4. To date, HOPE has touched the lives of nearly 3 million people. This includes 2,900,000 individuals who have received healthcare services, just less than 97,000 children who have received educational support, 15,435 children and adults who have been protected from abuse and neglect, 10,633 young women and men who have received life-changing vocational training, and 33,935 families who have been supported through HOPE’s emergency programmes.