Rajaveni, fondly referred to as Raji, created Golden Girls Mohanam under the guidance of Melissa Michaels, Golden Girls Global Founder and Co-Director. Raji has followed in the able footsteps of Bavanna, a now Ancestor and long time mentor, who started women’s village work after meeting Melissa in Kottakarai in 1987.
Golden Girls Mohanam is working to preserve and teach the traditional Tamil cultural arts, natural healthcare and diet. The programming serves as an antidote to the infiltration of western ways, phones, TV, drugs, early sex etc. Raji has cultivated freedom and empowerment to go work with the girls and is lifting the veils of oppressive cultural protocol. Her work has been so transformative that the girls’ mothers want to learn what their children are doing. They want to participate.
“I did not have guidance or idea about how to create this future fully. This Golden Girls Global group gave me enthusiasm and vision to continue the work. My sisters are there surrounding me, making me more strong.” ~Rajaveni, Executive Director, Mohanam Village Heritage Center
To learn more, please visit: www.mohanam.org
RECENT CHALLENGES
- COVID-19 - With the closing of the Community Center during the pandemic, it was hard to find a good place for the girls and women to gather and stay connected. Meetings were organized in village homes when possible.
- FUNDING - While Golden Girls Mohanam received some donations over the past year, funding has been sporadic, making it challenging to sustain programming. Even with volunteers helping at no charge, programs have been closed for almost one year.
- INFLUX OF TECHNOLOGY - Young people are being exposed to excessive amounts of out of context technology without any discernment about content. This can lead to confusion about cultural identity and other destructive diversions from healthy human development.
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- FOCUS - The unprecedented challenges of the past year have made the leaders at Mohanam more courageous and confident. This has led to new levels of creativity and ever greater collaboration. The focus has shifted from thinking about the BIG vision to living a simple life in a humble, connected, and satisfied way with consistent visioning.
- HOPE - The girls and women served by Golden Girls Mohanam have come to see the organization as a mother who helps them see sunlight, fresh air, bigger horizons, movement, connection, and...HOPE.
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