Meet Karly Godoy | Director of the Tashirat Orphanage, Yoga & Meditation Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Karly Godoy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Karly, as a parent, what have you done for you children that you feel has had the most significant impact?
I have one biological son, but have also raised many children throughout the years at our orphanage. Thanks to the model we have: being divided into homes and families, I’ve had the opportunity to become a mother to many generations of children who have been under my care at our Tashirat Orphanage, in central Mexico.
I believe none of us will ever know the true impact we have on our children but what I can say is that whatever love and care I was able to offer my children, was way more than they would’ve received otherwise. I believe Love always has a positive impact.
I could never imagine what it would feel like to grow up feeling alone, having no one to care for you.
Thanks to the exceptional mother I was born to, I have always felt a sense of indebtedness and a deep desire to give other children the love I have always received since young.
The most concrete thing I can say concerning the impact I/we have had on our children, is that all the children who have grown up in our orphanage have been offered a beautiful childhood: a home and family, a healthy lifestyle surrounded by nature, yoga, a healthy diet, love and education. We all know the positive impact that these things can have on any human being.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My mother founded Tashirat, an orphanage in central Mexico, 21 years ago. For the last 19 years, I have been working with her as a parent and teacher to our children and in the last 12 years as director of the orphanage.
We receive our children from Mexican child welfare. The majority are considered children with special needs and have come from backgrounds of abuse, neglect and/or abandonment.
Some of the children with special needs who are more dependent, remain with us in their adult lives.
This type of work brings constant challenges as well as many welcome successes.
Our work primarily consists of helping our children overcome their own constant challenges in all aspects of life: emotional, psychological, academic and in some cases physical as well.
One of the biggest lessons I have learnt throughout these years has been that one’s success is determined by one’s efforts and not necessarily by the immediate apparent results. Sometimes, things may not turn out in the way we would wish for them to, but there is strength in surrendering our desired outcome and peace in knowing we have given our all.

What I feel most proud of, is seeing the transformation that takes place in our kids and permanent staff members. Many of our dedicated staff arrived in their early 20s, at the inception of our orphanage, and have been full-time volunteers ever since. It really takes strengthening one’s self, on every level, in order to work with these types of children. This is why I really admire every member of our team and feel proud of what we have accomplished throughout the years.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Personally, I love nature so would recommend sunsets at the beach and hiking at Las Virgenes Canyon.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My mother, who has always been such an amazing examples to me of true love, perseverance, discipline, balance and a life dedication to serving those in need.

Website: https://www.tashirat.com

Facebook: Tashirat kids

Youtube: Tashirat Mail

Image Credits
Karly Godoy, Antonio González.