

These past couple days have presented our 2011 Global Seva Challenge group with a huge opportunity to grow and strengthen our sense of self. We have laughed as a group, cried as a group, and our hearts have hurt deeply as a group. We are on the path of discovering our individual faith with the support of each other. Our Seva group feels invincible. As we move through our journey of service in Haiti, our bond today is stronger than ever as we continue to truly bear witness to who we are on the inside. As we continue to dive [...]
The group came together for a much needed yoga practice this morning. Our physically drained bodies needed this hour of restorative movements to start our day and help us release some of the tension that has built up during the trip. Shortly after, it was off our mats and onto the road to Fondwa. We arrived mid-morning just in time for the hot sun to greet us. We broke ground in deep red soil with careful swings of a pick axe. Through the 2011 Global Seva Challenge, Off the Mat has funded a service project through the Association of Peasants [...]
Haiti’s countryside is stark and beautiful. Steep hills are cut with rows of crops against a perfect landscaped sky. This magical setting conceals the long struggle that Haitian farmers and rural communities have endured throughout history. At times, they’ve been enslaved, tortured, forgotten, and exploited. But as I dig my hands in this soil, among the weeds and fire ants, I can feel the opportunity for rebirth in every single moment. Before I arrived in Haiti, I was inspired by the courage of thousands of Haitian farmers who marched through the streets and burned 400 tons of hybrid, genetically modified, and [...]
Today is Day 4 of the 2011 Global Seva Challenge immersion trip, and it feels like we are home. Not home as we know it, but we’ve arrived into the space, culture, and beauty of Haiti. What we continue to witness in each moment are powerful and true feelings about what it means to take your yoga off your mat. Each day, we are watching a country put itself back together, which is not easy. For them to do. Or for us to witness. But the love that this Global Seva group has embodied to support each other moving through [...]
Meet Vladamir: a successful Haitian news anchor, whose life and physical appearance changed in the course of a few seconds 10 years ago. Vladamir, not a trained fireman or a medical professional, ran into a burning house to save the three children who were trapped inside. Without hesitation, he put the lives of others in front of his and was left with third degree burns covering 40% of his body. We have been in Haiti for more than a week now and we’ve visited several orphanages. When we ask the person who heads up the organization why they do what [...]