The Yoga Girl Foundation supports women and children who suffer the consequences of trauma, injustice, abuse and poverty. We provide emotional, financial and medical aid to support healing and empower growth. The foundation was founded 2018 in Sweden by Rachel Brathen Schoneveld and Shama Persson.
Reports on Aruba show that several limitations to progress in the lives of children and women exist. These limitations have many causes that stem from structural, economic and social problems.
Domestic violence in the home affects children, adolescents and women. The cases seen include physical, mental and emotional neglect, sexual abuse and domestic violence. While sexual abuse is punishable by law, but difficult to prove, punishment is not strict and the maximum penalty of 8 years is not applied.
We are raising funds in general to support the established organizations on the island of Aruba, as these organizations do not have the capacity to accept international donations. If you can spare any funds, please consider donating to helping the women and children in Aruba.
Our strength is in our voice and our reach. Together with the Yoga Girl® brand we have more than 3 million followers on social media.
Follow us on Instagram at @yogagirlfoundation!
What began as a longing to make a change has grown into a strong foundation with $51,000 USD already raised.
Focus is important, especially when it comes to children and women in need of support.
Support children in Aruba suffering from sexual abuse, and join or host a fundraising yoga class. We gather studios from all over the world and all money raised is donated to the Yoga Girl® Foundation to support our work.
Much love / Rachel & Shama
The situation in Aruba demands our urgent support. We are currently involved in two local projects that both support abandoned, abused and traumatised children.
Many children living in orphanages in Aruba, and their situations are all based on abandonment and traumatic backgrounds. While the staff is doing an incredible job, they are overworked and underpaid. They have reached out to us in need of support and it is our aim to create a more peaceful environment for the children.
The Yoga Girl® Foundation has funded children’s yoga for children living in orphanages with local teachers fluent in Papiamento (the native language) and provided all the yoga mats and props needed. This project began in October 2019 and cover the full school year until the summer of 2020, with one class per week. The cost for one class for ten children is 25 USD.
Together with Imagination Yoga, we are hosting a powerful workshop in Aruba on March 19, 2020 to promote resilience, calm & self-care. We are aiming to inspire a resilient generation of teachers, mental health professionals, care-givers and parents.
40% of the children in Aruba don’t graduate high school. This means that their opportunity to work and be a healthy, contributing member of society decreases rapidly, while their risk of becoming involved in crime and using illicit substances increases. There are many reasons why the drop out rate is crucially high - emotional trauma and neglect are two of them.
To support the children, this workshop will support the teachers and care-givers working with them. We bring them better tools and techniques to enhance concentration and learning, and reduce stress and anxiety. Research shows that mindfulness-based practices, particularly mediation and yoga, using movement, thinking, and breathing techniques increase attention, concentration, reduce stress and help children self-regulate and enable focus and concentration.
Featured Sponsor: Satya Jewelry
This piece was designed with 3 bands, representing daughter, mother, grandmother. A symbol of the lineage of strong women we come from and our power to change the world. Satya Jewelry donates 40% of the purchase price to the foundation. Click here or on the picture to buy your bracelet.
Our sponsors
A large part of the funds we have raised comes from collaborations with sponsors who support our vision. To us, every partnership is a friendship. To become our sponsor means you join our growing family.
The Yoga Girl Foundation was founded in September 2018. Although we are a new foundation, our team is relatively large and skilled in many different fields. Are you interested in becoming part of our team? Contact us here!
Rachel is the heart and voice of the Yoga Girl Foundation. A New York Times best selling author, public speaker and the founder of Yoga Girl®, Yoga Girl Foundation and Sgt Peppers Friends, Rachel has dedicated her entire life to help people heal and grow. Rachel has always had a big heart for rescuing animals and caring for children since she was young. This foundation is how we turn her mission into a reality.
Shama is the backbone of the Yoga Girl Foundation. Founding this mission with her daughter Rachel, Shama is a certified fundraiser with a background as an entrepreneur and inventor. She is based in Stockholm, but is a frequent traveler to Aruba. As a mother of four, she has a big heart and passion to support women and children in need. Her main focus in the foundation is fundraising and relationship building.
Luz studied Social Work in Amsterdam and is specialized in International Social Work & Community Development. Her additional background involves nutrition, coaching, fitness, marketing and management. Her responsibilities on the Yoga Girl Foundation team include the coordination and completion of projects; balancing time, budget and scope. Whenever not in the office, she’s in the studio taking or teaching yoga or ballet.
Courtney Betts is the Executive Assistant on the Yoga Girl team and a strategist for Yoga Girl Foundation. Originally, from Toronto, Canada, Courtney has an MSc in health science with a focus on social determinants of health in youth and a background in program evaluation. On the side from her role with Yoga Girl and Yoga Girl Foundation, Courtney teaches SUP yoga, creates art, and has a strong love for cats and math.
Angela is a member of the board, but also the COO of Yoga Girl. She has for over two decades held a variety of Sr. roles for mid-sized and global companies such as Microsoft Corporation and others. Her true calling lies in service and humanity where the real measurements are found in the heart. She oversees the global day-to-day operations at Yoga Girl® while balancing motherhood to two amazing children, being a wife, and finding time to roll out her yoga mat.
Michael is our in-house compliance and legal adviser. He lives and works as an attorney in Sweden. He has a passion for justice and equality and works with many partners to add love and soft values into law. He’s new to yoga and is happy to be a part of the global community of Yoga Girl® and the Yoga Girl® Foundation.
Robert Ikenberg is the IT and security consultant for Yoga Girl and Yoga Girl Foundation. Born and raised in Sweden, Robert was interested in computers and programming at a young age. Robert has now been working with IT security at large companies as well as performing IT security audits for Swedish nuclear facilities. Robert is a very friendly person that likes to help others and share his knowledge.
Ninni is an accounting consultant for the Yoga Girl® Foundation with more than twenty years experience in finance. She’s based in Sweden and is passionate in offering her services to causes that make a difference. She knows it is her life purpose to help others - both to heal the world and for her to grow as a human being. When she’s not working, you find her in the yoga studio or together with her two children.
Johan has a strong passion for making art - from producing films, taking stunning photos to creating that perfect web experience. He has an Art Degree, is tech savvy and is also a music producer. Born in Sweden he now lives on the beautiful island Öland, where he enjoys nature and sunsets while SUPing with his Peruvian dog.
There are many ways we could use your help! Through donations, volunteering or interning, and sharing our projects to your friends and family across social media, every little bit counts and we appreciate all that you do.
Your donation is so important to us, as all our projects need more than love and kindness to manifest change. Any contribution is welcome and every dollar matters. Thank you for anything you can give.
We love the donation based classes our yoga teacher network is hosting for us. Do you want to be part of this amazing network? Read more and join us by clicking the button below.
We need help to raise awareness and funds and to share our mission to reach our goals. Join as an ambassador by
1. Donate any small amount and
2. Send us an email with the subject “Ambassador” to info@yogagirlfoundation.com . Thank you!
Through our following on social media, we can broadcast and communicate our vision and goals to the world. Help us share and grow!
