Lindsay in Tajikistan

In 2008, Lindsay Schonfelder organized the "Spring Day of Yoga" to help her with a Habitat for Humanity project in Tajikistan. Here is a note from Lindsay about the project, and some photos.

Hey yoga people!.

I hope you're all enjoying the holiday season with your loved ones. I'm home in Calgary with my crew. Its so cold here that we haven't been outside in days. It's a far cry from the 40+ degrees we had in Tajikistan this summer!.

Christmas reminds me of the great gift you gave me in supporting the Spring Day of Yoga. I'm still kind of in awe of the way everything came together so well. I loved knowing that the yoga community in Montreal was behind me in supporting Habitat for Humanity's work in central Asia and i LOVED my experience there. Thank you so much for your help!.

I thought you might like to see a few pictures from the Habitat for Humanity build! The first one is a couple of little girls living next door to the build site. In fact, their house was built last summer, and now they're eagerly awaiting new neighbours. You can see us filling in the cement foundations with buckets in the background. (I'm the one crouched down wearing the big hat). .

The second pic is the base of operations for the Nurek build, where we worked every morning. It was one of twenty earthquake and landslide resistant homes being built on the site. Our little team worked with three families there, helping mix up cement with shovels and pour the foundations by hand. The families building their homes there were an inspiration; the hardest workers I've ever met! They should all be settled into their homes by now:) . The last photo is my team standing on our filled in foundations. (I'm third from the left.) It was the six of us women from Canada, and our hosts from Habitat for humanity Tajikistan. You can see the hand-made bricks stacked behind us. By the time we left, the brick walls were nearly up! . I am so grateful to you for your participation in getting me to Tajikistan. The build was the hardest work I've ever done, but it was incredibly worthwhile. My team and I really got the sense that we were helping a community to build itself up, and we were all so happy to be a part of that! You should be proud for being a part of it too! . With love and prayers for a joyful 2009, Lindsay Schonfelder

Comments

[Karla]

Hey Lindsay -

I, too, was in Tajikistan with Habitat for Humanity. I returned from there a couple of months ago. I recognize Behruz and Satoy (spelling?) as well as the construction manager! Small world...

Hope you had an amazing experience. I know I did! I am now signed up for Zambia in Oct of 09.

In support of my upcoming trip to Zambia I have started a ''Dollar-A-Day'' Challenge where I will live on just $1 a day like billions of people around the world are all too accustomed.

I invite you to check out my blog and keep track of our progress:

http://1-dollar-a-day.blogspot.com

Any trips in your future?!?

Thanks and best wishes to you!

Karla
http://www.hope-heals.org