Jumping hurdles, creating wonders: A small victory of Prakash

Prakash, a young adult from our Udayan Ghar- Gurgugram, had experienced adverse childhood trauma, like any child who lands up in alternative care. After experiencing multiple inappropriate placements, finally, he found with us his home. The L.I.F.E: Living in Family Environment of the home slowly helped him get over the trauma and work towards a better future. Today, he has grown into a fine man. Prakash works as an engineer after completing his B.Tech in Civil Engineering from Hi-Tech Engineering College scoring 78%.

He recently, achieved another milestone by receiving recognition by the National Scholarship Portal, a Post Matric Scholarships Scheme for Minorities. He received the scholarship under the Merit Scholarship Scheme.

One city at a time: Induction Ceremony of Luminous Udayan Shalini Fellowship- Baddi

Udayan Shalini Fellowship, has now set it’s foot in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh. With financial support from Luminous and technical support from iPartner India, we welcomed 100 new Shalinis selected from 8 government schools (Baddi, Nalgarh, Barotiwala, Manpura, Mandala, Jabli, Parwanoo & Gullerwaala) of district Solan to our family.

The ceremony took place at Luminous Power Technology Pvt. Ltd., Malpur, Baddi (H.P.), which was graced by various dignitaries from Luminous, Ms. Sumedha Sharma, Chief Functionary, iPartner India, as well as Udayan Care management and staff.

One of our ex-Shalinis from Delhi, Ms. Kamakshi Chauhan (Batch 3), conducted the programme and left everyone awestruck with her oratorical skills and inspired many with her transformation as a Shalini.

Bringing Alternative Care in South Asia together:  3rd Biennial International Conference (BICON)

Bringing Alternative Care in South Asia together: The 3rd Biennial International Conference (BICON) was held on the 16th and 17th of March 2018 at and in partnership with Amity University and a host of other partners and sponsors such as UNICEF, TATA Trust, Hope and Homes for Children in UK. More than 300 participants from over 17 countries came together at the 3rd BICON and deliberated on various critical aspects relating to Alternative Care for children in South Asia, including discussions on deinstitutionalization, family strengthening, sponsorship, gatekeeping and standards of care. For more details, read the brief report. The full report is expected soon.

Launch of CLAN and SYLC

The 3rd BICON saw the launch of CLAN (Care leavers Association and Network), a group of youth in Delhi who have experienced alternative care in childcare homes. To read more on the advocacy strategy and practice of aftercare of youth aging out of Child Care Institutions and foster care in South Asia, click here.  Another group named Support for Youth leaving Care (SYLC) has been formed to ensure a smooth transition of care leavers towards adulthood. To become a member of CLAN or SYLC, please contact us at advocacy@udayancare.org

Launch of ICEB

The 9th issue of our bi-annual, academic journal on Alternative care, “Institutionalised Children: Explorations and Beyond” (ICEB) was also launched, at the 3rd BICON. ICEB addresses the gaps in research, knowledge and counseling practices in the space of alternative care in South Asian countries.