Blog 1: Cradled by Courage – A Boy’s Journey Till 18

 Care leavers are young individuals who spend their childhood in orphanages or Child Care Institutions (CCIs) and leave these institutions when they turn 18. Once they reach the age of 18, the safety and protection of the home environment is withdrawn, and they are suddenly pushed into an unfamiliar world where they often have limited or, at times, no support at all. These institutions served as homes during their childhood, and for the children growing up there, the superintendent or the head of the shelter home functioned as a parental figure. Care leavers comprise those young people who have been under the care of central or state governments, including orphans, abandoned children, or those placed in institutional care due to family incapacity. Divyang (persons with disabilities) care leavers are those who, apart from being care leavers, also have physical, mental, or intellectual disabilities. They face not only the challenges common to all care leavers but also require extende...

Aditya (a fictional name) is a care leaver whose story has the power to melt anyone’s heart. His childhood was filled with struggles and countless hardships. When he was only three years old, his parents left this world forever. Imagine the darkness that suddenly surrounded his life when a child was completely deprived of his mother’s loving embrace and his father’s protective arms. Broken by this tragedy, he was taken to the children’s home located on Dinesh Mohan Road with the help of the police and a few NGOs. He grew up there, but even in that shelter, he always felt the absence of his parents deep within his heart. With tiny steps, he learned to live within the four walls of that children’s home. The staff and caregivers took care of him just like the other children, but still, there was a silent pain hidden in his eyes. He could not understand where his parents’ home was, but his heart held only one hope — that maybe someday someone would come and take him back. Every night, he w...