Deepali Patel startede de første Art of Living programmer i Elfenbenskysten, Burkina Faso og Senegal. De YLTP og 5H programmer, hun har undervist i, har hjulpet til at åbne døre/skabe kanaler/ mod en bæredygtig udvikling og harmoni mellem befolkningsgrupper/samfundsgrupper.
”For mig er det er en ære og et privilegium at være Art of Living lærer. De seneste ti år har været de mest berigende år i mit liv. Art of Living rører menneskers inderste kerne og man bliver øjeblikkeligt en del af dem, deres verden, deres liv. Jo mere jeg giver, desto mere modtager jeg. Det har åbnet mit hjerte i en grad, jeg aldrig havde troet mulig. Før var mit liv begrænset til min familie. Nu er det også begrænset til min familie, blot er min familie blevet så stor, spænder over kontinenter. Jeg havde aldrig forestillet mig, at det ville være muligt for mig. Sommetider forundres jeg over al den kærlighed mit liv rummer/jeg har i mit liv.”
CAMEROON, IVORY COAST RECOGNIZE ART OF LIVING'S WORK
"There is no fear. These eight days of the Art of Living program changed our perceptions of each other," says Adama, a member of the Deula tribe in Ivory Coast. "Our ways are so similar, we’re brothers. AOL is playing the role of a peace keeping organization," he continues. Since a few years there has been disharmony between the Deula and the Guéré tribes over land and economic issues. Around 30 members of the two tribes came together for the Youth Leadership Training Program (YLTP) in Ivory Coast in July. After the course, the tribes pledged peace initiatives. Presently one of the tribes is rebuilding homes in a village which they had forcibly taken over and inviting the opposite faction in. The youth have also started cleanliness campaigns and repairing roads.
The Art of Living team, comprising Deepali Patel from India, Philippe Torrella and volunteers like Jacques from Ivory Coast, has been conducting YLTPs, trauma relief programs and spreading awareness about health, hygiene and harmony. Many participants reported being malaria-free after years of suffering two-three bouts per month. Others have found relief from memories of the civil strife and have given up alcohol addiction and report better sleep.
"Initially people were skeptical of us and the courses. They constantly called me ‘the white one.’ Eventually they became very comfortable. These countries have seen immense trauma. Many locals said they had lost their purpose for living," says Deepali Patel, who conducted the courses. "The techniques taught in the course have helped them regain their joie de vivre. We also conducted one at Bouké in Ivory Coast, which is known to be the headquarters of the rebels. Here even the government officials were afraid for our safety but the locals welcomed us."
Recognizing the work done by Art of Living, the Minister of Reconciliation in Ivory Coast personally lends support to the programs. AOL programs have been conducted in French-speaking Cameroon and Ivory Coast since 1999. Last year 25 locals in Saa underwent the first ever Youth Leadership Training Program in Cameroon. Seven course participants visited the International Headquarters in Bangalore and learnt organic farming and biogas production. In June, the Mayor of Saa gifted a hectare of land to AOL which will be used to for organic farming. Locals from neighboring villages have requested training in the same as chemicals have rendered land infertile and biogas is unaffordable. Deepali Patel has also lived in the North-East of India, teaching the Art of Living programs. "We were constantly threatened and found people initially resistant. But then they kept coming back to the programs," she says. "No matter what color we are, every one is searching for inner peace. The course touches the core of a person and that is the same everywhere. The course is universal. It gives you you’re looking for. That’s why we are welcomed anywhere in the world."