Yoga Gives Back

In 2008, inspired by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Dr. Muhammad Yunus’ micro financing breakthrough, Yoga Gives Back began by supporting micro financing programs in India.

In 2010, YGB partnered with Nishtha in West Bengal and launched “Sister Aid,” an innovative women’s empowerment micro-loan program. It does not charge interest for loan but requires every borrower to save 50 rupees a month for their young girls’ education. Starting with 50 women, YGB has been able to grow this program to provide 500 impoverished women (45 groups) with small loans for income-earning businesses. Every year, we have witnessed the tremendous positive impact of this program on women’s lives. This program provides not only financial strength among women but also mental support system which help them to stand against issues such as abuse and domestic violence for the first time in their lives.Many global yoga communities responded well to this campaign right away with their fundraising support.

This program also provides educational funds for the members’ young daughters, and so far it has helped over 500 young girls continue their primary education and prevented forced child marriage or labor.India ranks 122nd of 138 nations on gender equality. In some rural areas, more than fifty percent of girls are married before age fifteen. Female literacy is still considerably lower than male literacy. However, women make the best poverty fighters. Women use their earnings not only to feed their families, but to improve their families’ quality of life as well as fund their children’s education, giving the next generation a much better chance to live out of poverty.