The Problem

Imagine you (or your children) at the young age of 18 being forced out of the only stable home you have known, with no idea how to navigate the system to even find a place to live, without the means to get more education or prepare for a job, and without anyone to help you avoid the many pitfalls and make good life choices. This is what most institutionalized children face when they age out of the government-supervised Child Care Institutions (CCIs) at the age of 18.

Approximate number of children in danger of aging out of CCIs (2011 Census and Ministry of WCD Mapping Review of CCIs, 2018)

	Ages 14-16	Ages 16-18
Boys	22,000	32,000
Girls	18,500	27,000
Total	40,500	59,000

Vulnerable children growing up without a familial support system need to be nurtured and supported at all ages, but the need is particularly acute to prepare them to enter the adult world. Without financial support and hand-holding until they are established to a certain extent, they may be forced to take sub-optimal, menial jobs out of desperation, or fall into a pattern of exploitation and poverty.

Rule No. 25 of the India Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act Rules, 2016 states that

the State Government shall prepare a program for children who have to leave Child Care Institutions on attaining eighteen years of age by providing for their education, giving them employable skills and placement as well as providing them places for stay to facilitate their re-integration into the mainstream of society.

This program called “After Care” is supposed to support these young adults until the age of 21, with an allocation of Rs 2000/ child /month toward expenses.

However, of all the rules specified by the JJ Act, After Care is one of the least implemented. Less than 20% of CCIs even have linkages to professional organizations providing After Care. Only about 30% of CCIs provide any exposure to Life Skills training with minimal supervision to ensure quality of the program.

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We take a “whole child” approach to prepare children fully for life outside the institution. In addition to being encouraged to pursue their education, they need to be given the life lessons that parents usually impart to their children starting from their early teens.

The skills children need to live and thrive in the 21st century cannot be taught overnight. In addition, many concepts often need to be introduced and then reinforced many times. Therefore, we begin working with the children at the age of 14, and continue after age 18 until they are established in their first job. We can support a child anywhere from 4 to 8 years depending on their career trajectory.

The essential skills that need to be taught are packaged into 3 age-appropriate programs. We use a data-driven approach to determine which skills are most required and when they are most effectively taught. We are laser focused on outcomes, and support a child until he/she is established in his/her first job.

We partner with organizations on the ground to deliver these programs to the children.

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