In 2026 we begin an exciting extension for post Grihini students. It is a three-year initiative to establish village-based self-help groups. The initial workshop, will run by Linda and Jim Chalmers, accompanied by Rama (committed members of the Australian Management Team) is planned for October 22. It will bring together 30–40 Grihini graduates to identify local priorities and develop sustainable community projects. A guest facilitator who is experienced in establishing such programs will facilitate participants learning how to plan, manage and sustain initiatives that improve the lives and livelihoods of their communities.

The Kodai Grihini Educational Program is committed to developing essential foundation skills that empower learners to participate confidently in education, employment and community life. Inspired by internationally recognised educational practices, the program aligns with the principles of the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF) and focuses on the progressive development of literacy, numeracy and personal capability.

Basic Literacy
Learners are supported to:
* Read and understand simple words, sentences and everyday texts.
* Develop clear handwriting and written communication.
* Build vocabulary in Tamil and English.
* Listen actively and communicate confidently in different situations.
* Express ideas through speaking, reading and writing.

Basic Numeracy
Learners develop the ability to:
* Recognise and use numbers confidently.
* Perform basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
* Measure length, weight, time and money in everyday situations.
* Interpret simple tables, charts and patterns.
* Apply mathematical thinking to practical daily activities.

Capability Development
The program also nurtures:
* Critical and creative thinking.
* Problem-solving and decision-making.
* Communication and teamwork.
* Personal responsibility and self-management.
* Digital awareness and safe use of technology.
* Ethical values, respect and community participation.
* Confidence, resilience and lifelong learning skills.

Through activity-based learning, practical experiences and continuous support, Kodai Grihini aims to equip every learner with the knowledge, skills and confidence needed for independent living, further education and meaningful employment.

Post Grihini Program

The Post Grihini Program ensures that learning and personal development continue beyond graduation. Every graduate remains a valued member of the Kodai Grihini family and is encouraged to stay connected through ongoing guidance, mentoring and community engagement.

Continuing Support

Kodai Grihini provides continued support to graduates by:

* Offering career guidance and employment referrals where possible.
* Encouraging further education, vocational training and higher studies.
* Providing mentoring and personal counselling during life transitions.
* Assisting graduates in developing leadership and community service initiatives.
* Connecting graduates with government schemes, employers and community resources where appropriate.

Contact with Graduates and Alumni

Kodai Grihini maintains regular contact with its graduates to celebrate their achievements and provide continued encouragement. Alumni engagement includes:

* Regular communication through phone calls, visits and digital platforms.
* Alumni gatherings, reunions and community events.
* Sharing success stories to inspire current learners.
* Inviting graduates to mentor new participants and share their experiences.
* Building a lifelong network of support, friendship and professional collaboration.

The Post Grihini Program reflects Kodai Grihini's commitment to lifelong learning, empowerment and social responsibility. By maintaining strong relationships with its graduates, the program fosters a vibrant alumni community that continues to create positive change in families, villages and society.

Our approach to our work at Grihini Community College is governed by the following values and principles:
1. We focus on promoting emotional, intellectual and physical skills rather than providing physical or financial resources.
2. We cherish the model of ‘Akka’ (Sister) and animator and we respond when our Alumni return in need of assistance, creating a family environment.
3. We prioritise enabling young women to live with dignity, respect, awareness and empowerment in their own places; to resource them to make a difference in their villages rather than equipping them to ‘escape’ from village life.
4. Grihini is a ‘movement’ rather than a project or an NGO, and its future direction will be led by Grihini with the accompaniment of the Grihini Administration.
5. We focus on developing young women to be responsible leaders and raising their political and social awareness.
6. Grihini Trust works towards the sustainability of financial and human resources.
Teaching and learning approaches will incorporate critical group and self-reflection, continuous improvement, innovative learning and full student participation.
7. We have equal functional responsibility irrespective of our office.
8. We care for and safeguard the health and wellbeing of our students and each other.
9. We assist women who experience violence.
10. We collaborate with other like-minded individuals and institutions who support our values to make the Grihini graduates fit for life, for society and for jobs.

The important feature of Grihini is not policy or procedures. It is the education and liberation of the young oppressed and suppressed women of the Kodai hills, done in such a way that will enable them to be liberators of themselves and their families and to be contributors and liberators of their communities. This education should be carried out with deep respect and care for these young women such that they understand what it means to expect respect from all people and to offer respect, care and support to others. Many will not ever have experienced care in their lives before coming to Grihini. This calls upon those of you who teach them to be models of respect and care. We are all equal and we need to show by our actions that we regard everyone as deserving equality and respect and that they are worthy of love and care.

This is a time of change for Grihini. Those of us who were here at the beginning are growing old. We need to prepare ourselves to hand over the baton to younger people and maybe less experienced than us. This is not easy to do, and changes it brings can be hard. To accept, but if we do not embrace the changes before us, Grihini risks functioning through rituals that have lost their spirit, heart and care that they once embodied. We don’t want Grihini to be a ritual without spirit or heart. We want what Grihini does to be meaningful for each person. That is why we have worked together many times over to gain a common understanding of why we exist as a group and what we must do. The discussions of policies and of procedures enables a new guard to come in and the old guard to go out and at the same time keep the spirit of Grihini alive.

Grihini has already changed. It is nothing like it was when we started some almost 40 years ago. But we do want to keep faithful to its intention of care, education and support of the most marginal and vulnerable of women in these hills. But this does not mean young people should not speak up. We want new ideas. We also want those of us who have grown old to speak up, because we want your wisdom of experience.

Janice Orrell
2024

The six-month Grihini residential program comprises about 30 women, aged between 13 and 23. Some are Adivasi (or Tribals); some are from Dalit colonies (or “Harijan”); some come from colonies of Tamils repatriated from Sri Lanka and some are from “other lower caste” colonies. All are poor with limited or no education. The teachers do not educate the girls out of their villages but equip them to return to their homes and to practise what they have learned about hygiene, nutrition, the environment, caste oppression and empowerment. Women who have been through the program typically ensure their own children receive a good education. “A good education” refers to the role of education in helping to realise positive futures for those who live and work in social contexts where there seems to be little hope.

The curriculum is divided into three parts to develop student formation, education and production. They are:
•Life coping skills
•Language Skill
•Livelihood skills

Life coping skills
The goals of the life coping skills courses aim to provide formation through personality development (confidence and self-esteem) and value-based education. The life coping skills courses help students learn how to:
•Face a situation with confidence and hope, take action and be flexible
•Provide problem-solving skills
•Help the learners to be leaders and not victims of challenging situations.

Language Skills
The goals of the language skills courses aim to:
•Provide students with to a good oral command of their mother language (Tamil) so that they can articulate themselves in various situations and contexts.
•Help students to become fluent in reading, writing and articulation in Tamil
•To gain some basic knowledge of English.
•Assist student to become numerate in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

Livelihood skills
Livelihood skills are designed to become potential income generation skills. The goals of the livelihood courses are to:
•Expose all students to a wide range of basic livelihood skills
•Once the student have had basic exposure to the range of basic skills, they will be assigned to particular training groups in accordance with their interests and skills that will be viable to be carried out successfully in their villages and help them to have economic independence. The duration of the skills with date, the resources needed and the resource persons will be decided shortly.