Online Mindfulness Meditation Campaign Transforms the Lives of Thousands
Each year thousands of people register to take part in the Mindful in May global online meditation challenge. It is a unique opportunity to do something deeply valuable for yourself and at the same time participate in helping to transform the lives of thousands of people around the world who struggle in the face of unimaginable poverty.
The aim of Mindful in May is to teach you new skills to develop your inner resources to keep up with the demands of this rapidly changing world, whilst contributing to helping others who so urgently need resources as basic as access to clean, safe drinking water.
I wasn’t aware of the significance of the global water crisis until I had a chance to visit West Africa a number of years ago. I remember watching in disbelief as women walked barefoot along cliffs for miles, balancing litres of water on their heads, only to do it all again the next day.
According to UNICEF in just one day, 200 million work hours are consumed by women collecting water for their families, which is equivalent to building 28 empire state buildings each day.
I remember one day lifting one of these water tanks and wondering how these women could carry them so far. For the lucky ones the water they brought back to their families was from clean wells – for the unlucky ones, contaminated water would quickly infect their families and lead to sickness and oftentimes death. This problem seemed so overwhelming, I really wanted to do something to make a difference, but I just didn’t know how it would be possible.
Fast forward 12 years and that latent feeling of wanting to make a difference came to the surface in an unexpected way through the idea for Mindful in May.
When I created Mindful in May four years ago, I never would have imagined that four years later it would have spread into a global movement and inspired others to gather together with a shared intention and positively impact the lives of thousands of people living without clean water.
The spread of Mindful in May speaks to both the thirst that we have to find ways of creating more calm in our days through meditation, but also the deep compassion we share as human beings for one another – the sense that we know in our hearts, it’s just not acceptable to be living in a world where approximately 748 million people on the planet struggle daily to access such a basic human need or that 1400 children die every day because of contaminated water related illnesses.
So during this Mindful in May campaign – take a moment to really connect with the incredible opportunity you have to make a really tangible difference in another human beings life.
Here is the impact we have had as a global community so far:
Mindful in May 2012
Ethiopia
3 community drilled wells
Number of people with clean water: 750
Mindful in May 2013
Ethiopia
9 community drilled wells in Tigray, Ethiopia
Estimated number of people with clean water: 2,000
Mindful in May 2014
Rwanda
Fully funded 4 projects: all schools
Number of people with clean water: 3,759
Malawi
Assigned to 8 drilled wells in communities in Central Malawi
Estimated number of people served: 2,000 (water projects currently in progress)
Watch this short clip from Charity Water, the not for profit that we support each year, who has built the Mindful in May water projects with the funds we have raised.
It’s so meaningful to see exactly how your fundraising has made a difference in the world.
For $30, you can register to join the annual Mindful in May campaign for a limited time HERE and receive the online meditation program that will support you in learning mindfulness meditation and help you stick to 10 minutes of meditation a day this May. Get sponsored in April to commit to meditating for 10 minutes a day for the month of May and help raise money to help build clean water projects in Uganda this year. You can create your own virtual Mindful in May meditation team and fundraise with friends and families.
It costs $20,000 to build one water project in Uganda with approximately $35 to provide clean water for life to one person.
I hope to meditate with you this May,
Share this post with a friend and support one another to take up the Mindful in May meditation challenge.
Create a clear mind for you, and clean water for others.
Happy meditating and fundraising,
Elise Bialylew
Founder of Mindful in May
