September 2025 Featured Interview
Tashirat Helps Children No One Else Will
An Interview with Karly Godoy
Karly Godoy
Photo Courtesy: Karly Godoy
Photo Courtesy: Karly Godoy
About Karly:
Karly Godoy was born in Los Angeles, California, to a South African mother and a Mexican father. Her mother, an educator with a deep passion for supporting children with special needs, played a central role in shaping Karly’s life path. When Karly was three, her family relocated to Mexico, where her mother opened a yoga center. Later, they moved to a serene mountain town about an hour and a half from Mexico City, seeking a quieter life immersed in nature.
Karly Godoy was born in Los Angeles, California, to a South African mother and a Mexican father. Her mother, an educator with a deep passion for supporting children with special needs, played a central role in shaping Karly’s life path. When Karly was three, her family relocated to Mexico, where her mother opened a yoga center. Later, they moved to a serene mountain town about an hour and a half from Mexico City, seeking a quieter life immersed in nature.
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In 2003, her mother founded Tashirat, a home for children who had little to no chance of being adopted — many with physical or developmental disabilities. Karly joined the project in 2005 and gradually took on more responsibilities. A few years later, she became the director of Tashirat, where she continues to live and work today.
Karly has two biological children, a 16-year-old son and a baby daughter. Since 2005, she has also parented many generations of children in Tashirat, who she continues to be a Mom to. Under her leadership today, Tashirat is home to 25 children, most of whom have disabilities. The orphanage is run by a dedicated team of long-term volunteer staff, and many have been with the project for over a decade. Together, they’ve built a nurturing, family-like environment where every child receives the love and support they need to thrive. About Tashirat:
The Tashirat orphanage’s mission is to provide abandoned, disabled children with comprehensive care, a loving home and family within the Tashirat community. The organization supports the children in building a new life, equipping them with the tools and resources they need to live happy, healthy fulfilling lives. A core belief is that every child deserves love and a sense of belonging, and that family is defined beyond biological ties. By embracing those without families, the organization creates a larger, more inclusive community. (Note: This is a 501(c)3 organization in the U.S. and a legal nonprofit in Mexico.)
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Karly and Staff Working with the Children
Photo Courtesy: Tashirat |
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Learn More About Tashirat in this Video
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A Welcoming Space (Tashirat Orphanage)
Photo Courtesy: Tashirat |
In 2003, the Tashirat orphanage first opened its doors in Tepoztlan, Mexico, to disabled children and teens who are difficult to place in adoptive homes. The young residents of Tashirat (pronounced with the accent on the final -at) have either been abandoned or removed from parental custody due to extreme abuse or neglect. The staff and volunteers there want to give each child a sense of love, security, and growth, while nurturing each child’s development.
The organization was founded in 1994 by Brenda Jacobson in Tepoztlan, about an hour and a half from Mexico City, as a center for spiritual learning. It also offered free classes to people with disabilities. A 2003 expansion allowed for on-site comprehensive care 24/7. In addition to receiving medical, psychological, nutritional, and dental care, the residents are provided with a nurturing home in which they can acquire the skills to build a future they’re capable of. Tashirat can accommodate between 25 and 30 children at a time, depending on the severity of their disabilities and the amount of care they require. |
Carol Lippert Gray, associate editor, recently spoke with Karly Godoy, the daughter of the founder and the current director.
How did Tashirat start?
My brother was born with bronchial problems, and we moved to Mexico. My mother opened a yoga center in Mexico City and eventually started a service project — a school for children and adults with disabilities. These children had been neglected by their families. We picked them up by truck, fed, cleaned, and taught them. We would see amazing advancement during the week, but they were back to square one after the weekend.
How did Tashirat start?
My brother was born with bronchial problems, and we moved to Mexico. My mother opened a yoga center in Mexico City and eventually started a service project — a school for children and adults with disabilities. These children had been neglected by their families. We picked them up by truck, fed, cleaned, and taught them. We would see amazing advancement during the week, but they were back to square one after the weekend.
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My mom decided the best thing would be [to open] an orphanage to take care of them thoroughly and give them emotional support and stability. She asked people in her yoga classes if they wanted to join, and a committee started to form.
We had children from state child welfare orphanages at first. Foster homes aren’t common in Mexico, so the children came mostly from orphanages. We only accept children who are not going to return to family members and who have no possibility of being adopted. They can stay until age 18 if they are without disability and beyond 18 if they can’t be independent. That’s a challenging mandate.
It’s challenging because you feel responsible for another person’s life. But it’s beautiful and satisfying when you give a child a good environment, the right nutrition, and emotional stability. |
A Loving Environment for the Children
Photo Courtesy: Tashirat |
What’s your staff like?
In addition to myself, there are six staff members. Our core team are all volunteers. Most come from the U.S. and one is Mexican. My mother continues to help me direct from behind the scenes. Our maintenance people, cook, and administrators are a separate staff.
In addition to myself, there are six staff members. Our core team are all volunteers. Most come from the U.S. and one is Mexican. My mother continues to help me direct from behind the scenes. Our maintenance people, cook, and administrators are a separate staff.
Playtime
Photo Courtesy: Tashirat |
How are you funded? Miraculously, things seem to fall out of heaven when we need them. Two people agreed to fund the salary of our nighttime caretaker. We’re interviewing for a full-time nurse. We’re a very small grassroots organization. We never hired a fundraiser. We make do with whatever we have. It’s really beautiful. Thanks to our staff members and their families, we’ve been able to build the projects we have. We’re all very invested in this project. It’s hard work. It’s a spiritual commitment. We do yoga and meditation; we take care of our health to have the strength and balance to do everything we do. This is our life. We don’t vacation. We’re here 24/7. But we don’t feel the need for vacations because this is our passion. When something makes you feel good, that’s not a sacrifice. Everything you do builds you as a person. |
What’s a typical day like?
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The staff wake up before the children and do their spiritual practices. The older kids get up at 6 a.m., the babies at 7:30. We have two homes with girls, mostly teenagers, and one home with boys. The baby home has five babies ranging from four months to two-and-a-half years. All were abandoned in hospital. Most places in Mexico only accept children after two years old.
What would you like to tell our readers? Children with special needs are very unlikely to ever be adopted. I want to encourage people to consider opening their hearts and homes to these children — and, for those who cannot adopt, to support our mission of giving them the closest thing to a home and family. We’d also like to encourage people to reach out to us via email and join our newsletter, which goes out every few months [click on the link below to the most recent issue], so they can receive beautiful, close-up updates on our children and our work with them. They are always very uplifting and a nice antidote to all of the very depressing news that seems to get more depressing by the year. |
Tashirat Orphanage, Dining and Lounge Area
Photo Courtesy: Tashirat |
Where do you find sanctuary?
In our spiritual practices. We believe part of our service is also taking care of ourselves. If you don’t, you’re unable to give. It’s simultaneous. You discipline yourself so you can be healthy and have the strength to give beyond.
In our spiritual practices. We believe part of our service is also taking care of ourselves. If you don’t, you’re unable to give. It’s simultaneous. You discipline yourself so you can be healthy and have the strength to give beyond.
US Mailing Address:
9450 SW Gemini Dr.
#26465
Beaverton, Oregon 97008-7105
Mexico Mailing Address:
AP 14 Tepoztlan, Morelos 62520
MEXICO
9450 SW Gemini Dr.
#26465
Beaverton, Oregon 97008-7105
Mexico Mailing Address:
AP 14 Tepoztlan, Morelos 62520
MEXICO
