What can your singing bowl do for you? Better yet, what can your singing bowl do for the world?
Marawi is a city on the island of Mindanao, Philippines, located on the northern shores of Lake Lanao. The hills and mountains in the region, as well as the ancient lake itself, are the subject of legends that began locally but have made their way across the world.
In more modern times, Marawi and its neighboring towns were where residents could raise their families, grow and sell produce, and perhaps find a place working in the burgeoning tourism industry.
Recently, a lot has changed in the region, and not for the better. Little more than a year ago, Marawi was a city under siege by ISIS. It began in late May of 2017 when an ISIS-affiliated terrorist group began burning schools and other buildings in their bid to take control of the city. In the months that followed, hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians in the area would be forced from their homes as the conflict intensified.
The devastation leveled on Marawi was even greater than that of ISIS attacks carried out in London, Jakarta, and Tehran. Many residents remain in temporary shelters and evacuation centers. On a recent visit back to their former home to salvage belongings, the people of Marawi were devastated by the full realization that so little remained of their former lives.
It is estimated that it will cost over a billion dollars to rebuild the city.
In the meantime, one of the main challenges displaced citizens face is meeting their basic needs. That’s where Silent Mind, empowered by our loyal customers, comes in. In April of this year, we visited four different evacuation areas surrounding Marawi. There, we met hundreds of families in need.
Thanks in part to your purchase, we were able to supply 250 families with the following:
- A blanket
- Bars of soap
- Six bottles of shampoo
- Six tubes of toothpaste
- Two toothbrushes
- Five kilograms (11 lbs) of rice
- 10 packs of noodles
In the grand scheme of things, this may not seem like much, but for a small business like ours, it’s huge. And it’s your mindfulness practice that helped make it happen. Many families we had the honor of meeting do not have beds to sleep on, let alone the luxury of a blanket during colder months.
A great deal of the Silent Mind team call the Philippines home, but future charitable efforts will take place anywhere we feel we can make a difference. Next, we’ll be visiting Nepal, where our singing bowls are made. We’ve planned a visit to help rebuild an orphanage in a rural area, and we hope we can count on your support in successfully aiding children in need.
Until then, if you’ve made a purchase through Silent Mind, thanks again. We’re dedicated to our role as an ethical company conscious consumers can feel good doing business with. If you haven’t tried one of our singing bowls yet, it’s never too late to discover what a boost in mindfulness can do for you - as well as someone oceans away.