Hi Everyone!

The months of March and April have been really exciting and busy for us!

Over the last few weeks, we have been equally humbled and delighted by the wishes pouring in for our 25 year milestone. In these 25 years, Udayan Care has transformed the lives of over 25000 children, youth and women through its programs. And each one of us associated with Udayan Care has also carried the intent that this transformation catalyzes systemic change for the children and youth of this country. There is equal measure of pride in what we have accomplished, and feeling of being overwhelmed with the possibilities of what Udayan Care can continue to do and build on.

Time was appropriate for us to think of how we expand our footprint, and take the message to the world.  Time was also appropriate to have a new leader come in to take on the mantle of running Udayan Care on a day-to-day basis, and help set up further systems and processes that would enable us to evolve with the changing eco-system, and scale while keeping our core intact!

We are delighted to have our very own, Aneesha Wadhwa, join us as the Executive Director of Udayan Care effective 2nd April, 2019. Aneesha is known to the most of us in her role as a Trustee. Over the last 16 years, she has enabled the organization across work streams in governance, strategic expansion, organisational development, resource mobilization and communication management.  Her passion lies in applied research, policy advocacy and development of models of care for young adults leaving child care institutions. Aneesha personally mentors several care leavers and has been a mentor mother at our Mehrauli, Delhi home since 2004. Aneesha has been passionately involved in the work at Udayan Care, and this transition is really the formalization of an already solid relationship!!

Additionally, it was really busy and exciting time for our children, as across programmes, they faced final exams, received successes and accolades, and the excitement of new classes, new books, some even made new friends; Moreover, both these months have been very crucial and busy for our youth too, appearing for their 10th and 12th board examinations.  However, the closely knit family of Udayan Care mentors, staff and volunteers supported them to remain calm and give their best at this crucial stage.  Kudos, to all our children and mentors for putting in their best efforts!!!

Coming back to the 25 years celebrations, it got summed up in a resounding event ‘Celebrating Change’, which celebrated Change that Udayan Care has been able to bring about in its beneficiaries, staff and volunteers, in the ecosystem of child protection, girls’ education and empowerment all around us. Standing tall were our Udayan Shalini Sena, represented by 150 Shalinis across 13 states, rejoicing, and voicing their opinions, aspirations, beliefs and faith in themselves, strongly and clearly: “Every time I rise, I touch the sky!”