My husband and I are starting a foundation in response to the recent loss of our baby girl, Rubybleu Puja. Leon has spent the past twenty-five years traveling in India and Nepal and studying Tibetan Buddhism. His journeys through the diverse culture on the subcontinent have allowed him to explore a discipline that aims to elevate consciousness through compassion and understanding.

When I first met Leon I was struck by his openness to life and profound respect for women and his deep love of children. Soon after meeting, we fell in love and I found myself in India on an incredible journey with a remarkable man. As a trained anthropologist, I thoroughly enjoyed the complex Indian culture and after a few months of adjustment, I truly came to appreciate the beauty and brilliance of a people who have been practicing the same customs for the past twelve thousand years.

We love India because the people there are connected to the earth and inevitably are interconnected with the dynamics of our planet's ecosystem.

When Leon and I first found out we were pregnant, we immediately set forth plans to raise our daughter primarily in India. We wanted her to experience the natural world and a vibrant culture. We wished for Rubybleu to be able to have a tropical garden and a goat so that she could develop a relationship with Earth. After experiencing the intense, cosmic force of birth, followed by great joy, we sorrowfully had to say goodbye to our beautiful Rubybleu just days after she was born. She simply stopped breathing and her spirit flew away. Needless to say, we were devastated by the loss and will be dealing with our sorrow for a long time to come. We are still continuing on to India with the Rubybleu Foundation as a focus and a way to channel our energy and our ever-growing love.

India has so much splendor and spirit yet we are aware that there are many problems as well, most of which result from the incredibly high population. Women are the backbone of the family, especially among third world communities. They are the ones responsible for the children and the household. They carry the water, cook the foods and tend to the needs of the family, thereby forming the glue that holds people together. There is a direct parallel to the number of children that women have in relation to their education. Studies have shown that when women are educated, they have fewer children. This statistic illustrates how education can help India's population problem. Education provides women full and equal participation in communities that can also aid in people's health, well-being, and economic independence.

Our mission is to promote sustainable growth for women and children by women among communities in India and Nepal. We seek projects that concern healing and education that will not disrupt current religious beliefs and will minimally affect the culture. This is very important to us as we respect the belief systems and worldviews of others in our efforts to maintain diversity as an integral aspect of interconnectedness on Earth. By supporting women in a grassroots effort we will make change in which individuals have the freedom to define the scope of her life, her future and to strive to achieve her full potential. This in turn will be taught to her children, which will help generations to come.

We do not yet know exactly what will be done until we are in India and able to see and experience the particular needs of the people. We seek intelligent, educated Indian women to aid us in our path, as they will know what is needed and are connected to the people that we want to help. Some of our current ideas include: supporting women who want to run their own businesses, sponsoring female children for schooling and building women's centers to promote women's groups, healthcare and education. We are inspired by the group SEWA which offers small loans to women to begin their own businesses as well as Women for Women International which links western women with a third world women to aid in education and personal growth.

This work is very new to us, but we feel drawn to direct our misplaced parenting energies into a positive future. We welcome any information, advice, and/or ideas concerning the growth of the Rubybleu Foundation. We can be reached at 510-337-9067 or via email at sister_fireheart@yahoo.com

Katalin Koda

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