This quarter we want to spotlight Narika, an organization that promotes women's independence and economic empowerment by

We spoke to Ruvani Fonseka who is just finishing up her internship for Narika through UC Berkeley's Master of Social Welfare program. She initially joined Narika because she is passionate about gender equity and health in South Asian communities. Before this, she has screened clients for domestic violence in a women's community clinic in San Francisco, helped do data analysis for a public health initiative in Bangalore training health care workers to support survivors of domestic violence, and conducted her MPH thesis research on the links between adverse childhood experiences and intimate partner violence perpetration among Sri Lankan males. She says, "Narika is the perfect place for me to develop my skills in the field of domestic violence prevention in South Asian communities while finishing my studies at Berkeley."

Ruvani has helped coordinate Narika's Self-Empowerment and Economic Development (SEED) workshops with recent immigrants, secure funding for trauma-informed support for children of survivors, and develop the staff and board members through trainings. She is really proud of the SEED program for recent immigrants in the San Francisco Bay Area. Financial dependence on others is a major risk factor for domestic violence, along with the linguistic isolation that many immigrants face when they first arrive in the US. The SEED program works to prevent domestic violence by both developing new immigrants' ESL skills and also preparing them for careers in the US through financial management training, career coaching, and skills development. Ruvani commented, "It has been really rewarding to see the amazing progress that people make over the 12 weeks in the program, and to hear the success stories of those who find employment and can support themselves."

Narika plans to continue to develop partnerships with other domestic violence and immigrant support agencies in the community. Narika is a small organization, and its clients are most supported by a network of community allies coming together.

To get involved, visit narika.org, or email [email protected] for more information. There are multiple ways to get involved, from donating, volunteering in-person, serving as a board member, or volunteering virtually (such as website design). 

Feel free to contact Ruvani about her work/research at [email protected].