Dear Friends,

It's celebration time everywhere, with the Diwali festivities just behind us, soon the world will be gearing up for Christmas. At Udayan Care, though, there are plenty of other reasons to celebrate too. Earlier this year, being one among the top 10 finalists of the iVolunteer Awards in 'Leader in Volunteer Engagement' was just a precursor. Internationally, a fantastic accolade came our way when Aneesha Wadhwa - our Trustee and Mentor Mother - was awarded the Global Fundraiser of the Year at the International Fundraising Conference, Netherlands. Scroll to read more.

I was fortunate to participate in the 10th Asia Pacific Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect (APCCAN) held recently at Kuala Lumpur, where I presented a paper on 'Addressing Challenges of Transition from Children's Home to Independence: Udayan Care's Udayan Ghars (Sunshine Children's Homes) & Aftercare Programme'. It was a privilege to share the stage with renowned global speakers and thought leaders from the sector. I have the satisfaction of knowing that we at Udayan Care have brought to light some of the pressing issues of transitioning young people from institutional care to independent living. You can catch all these updates now or connect with us on our new LinkedIn page - yes, we have one!

These months have been all about bringing in more light into the lives of the young minds who are our joy and responsibility, and about giving generously. Daan Utsav heralded this generosity across Udayan Care. Our super-achievers brought back trophies from across the globe, while our volunteers and donors continued to be the backbone of our organisation. A new Hyderabad chapter of Udayan Shalini Fellowship came into existence, with 28 Shalinis being inducted at the Microsoft India Development Centre. Our team grew too - Sheeba Khan, Coordinator - Communications & Resource Mobilisation and Dr. Naveen Sharma - Assistant Director, Fundraising joined our mission for change.

As the year nears its end, we're also preparing in full swing for the March 2016, Biennial Conference on "Improving Standards of Care for Alternative Child & Youth Care: Systems, Policies and Practices". If you want to submit your abstract on the subject, you can. If you would like to register for the conference, click here.

The latest issue of the bi-annual academic journal "Institutionalised Children: Explorations and Beyond" was released recently and acts as a platform for continuous deliberations/dialogues to address limitations in the research, knowledge and counselling practices currently prevalent in working with children in alternative care - especially in South Asia.

In an effort to crystallise the way foster care is approached in India, the government released the new Foster Care Guidelines, an act which shows great commitment towards children in out-of-home care.

In an effort to crystallise the way foster care is approached in India, the government released the new Foster Care Guidelines, an act which shows great commitment towards children in out-of-home care.

The past two months have been challenging, fruitful and empowering. As always, your support remains our greatest strength.

Best wishes for the festive season!