The Mandala House Project is a feature-length documentary film that takes us across several continents following the vision of Lenny Williams to provide self-directed healing programs to post-conflict populations, child victims of war and sexual and gender-based violence, and former child soldiers.

The Mandala House Project teaches people about the power of yoga, through the eyes of Lenny – a woman with a vision of a world without violence, where compassion for self and others is unlimited and the tools for self-recovery are available to everyone.  Lenny teaches that true peace comes from within and that each individual should have access to these tools in order to heal themselves and their community.  The film will follow her work teaching a trauma-sensitive yoga and breath awareness model in a group dynamic, we teach mind/body awareness tools that our practitioners can take into their lives–healing themselves and others.

Specifically, the film will follow Lenny as she works to establish long-term yoga training programs in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Colombia.  Lenny has spent the past few years developing her program and has had incredible success.  In Uganda, she reached out to St. Monica’s Girls School and trained the staff and Sister Rosemary – a CNN Heroes winner a few years back.

The Mandala House Project will shine light on the overwhelming issue of rehabilitating children who have been victimized by war, used as soldiers, or suffered sexual violence.

Award-winning Director Karim Chrobog of War Child starring Emmanuel Jal, will be directing the film and New York-based documentary filmmaker and founder of Intention Media Inc., Hannah Rosenzweig, will be co-producing the film.

Lenny describes a moment when she knew that what she was doing with Mandala House was working.  

“It’s all a process.  So each part leads to the next.  There is always a moment though — in each class, each training – where I am reassured that I am on the right path.  In Burundi, the President happened to be doing a site visit of the Heartland Alliance facility our last day there.  We were in lockdown and the final classes kind of dragged on because we couldn’t leave.  One of the cooks for the facility came up to me, she wanted me to elaborate on the breathing exercises she had seen me teach the beneficiaries.  We went into this tiny, little room and we started to explore ‘belly breathing.’  It was really difficult for her, she was a total ‘chest-breather’ and her inhalations looked painful, jagged.  We did a few easy shoulder releases and then went back to the breath.  Then she just unloaded.   Tears.  I kept her just breathing through her experience, encouraging her not to hold her breath.  To not hold on the emotions.   Five minutes went by and then she had a deep exhale and just started laughing.”

Read more about Lenny’s work in our recent interview.

What we need

Our initial goal is to raise funds for our first production shoot in Gulu Uganda, where Lenny is currently working to establish her program with the support of War Child UK.  Specifically, over the next several months we will be traveling to Gulu to shoot with Lenny, conducting interviews and visiting locations important to her project.

Our goal for this campaign is $50,000.  The funds are necessary for:

- compensating organizations and treatment centers for their involvement in the film
- covering costs of camera and lighting for a 3-week production shoot
- travel costs to get Karim and his cameraman to Gulu
- licensing music and archival footage for our film and theatrical trailer
- hiring a designer and motion graphics artists to work on our titles, subtitles, and animations
- hiring a colorist and professional sound mixer
- finishing + transfer costs so we can distribute theatrically
- paying ourselves a stipend to cover our living expenses

Donations also accepted by mail.

Please make checks payable to Child Soldier Relief Foundation and write “The Mandala House Project” in the memo and send to:
CHILD SOLDIER RELIEF FOUNDATION
P.O. Box 9770
Washington, DC 20016