Overview

Udayan Care was founded as an establishment for abandoned and orphaned children in New Delhi. It has residential establishments called 'Udayan Ghar' for children. It also provides education for girls and women and vocational training for the youth. Udayan Care also advocates against child abuse and violation of human rights.

Udayan Care's work is divided into four major verticals namely, Child and Youth Care, Education, Skill, and Advocacy. Under the 'Child and Youth Care' vertical, Udayan Care has 14 Udayan Ghars in 4 states which house a total of 172 children. An Udayan Ghar is a structure derived from the concept of 'Sunshine Homes' which are group homes aimed to provide a family-like environment to the children. Each Ghar has around 12 children from ages 6-18 staying together as a family unit. The concept of Udayan Ghar is rooted in the belief that a family setup fosters the right values, interactions, development and education in the children who have not been granted a safe family space naturally.

Lifetime volunteers called 'Mentors’' take up the role of a sister, brother or parent for the children. They are called 'Mentor Didi/Bhaiya' or 'Mentor Mother/Fathers'. Along with the professional social workers/counselors and the care staff; this team works to holistically develop children for the future. Currently, there are 32 mentors, 31 professionals, and 36 people are working as care staff. Everything from education, physical growth and health and mental well-being of the children is managed by the team.

The 'AfterCare' programme under 'Child Care and Youth' vertical looks after the children from the age of eighteen till the time they attain financial independence. 'Gate Keeping' is a programme under the 'Child and Youth Care' vertical which aids in restoring ties with the biological family of the child and reuniting them. The 'Foster care' programme is an alternative to Udayan Ghar, where the child lives with a foster family if 'Gate Keeping' has not worked out.

The next vertical is 'Education', hosting programmes like 'Udayan Shalini Fellowship' and 'Pragnya'. Since its inception in 2002, the USF (Udayan Shalini Fellowship) has grown from 72 girls to 6000 girls in 2018 and has expanded to 11 states. It strives to provide school education to girls and women who have been denied access because of financial constraints or social setbacks. The admission criteria for the programme is based on the 'NAT' (Need, Ambition, and Talent) model. Candidates have to undergo a series of verbal and written tests and home visits by the team to determine the need for support. 'Pragnya' aids graduate and postgraduate studies for women bound by financial and social restrictions. Currently, there are 8 women enrolled in M. Tech by IIITD for the past two years.

Under the 'Skilling' vertical, Udayan Care has opened IT and vocational training centres to promote digital literacy and make it a medium to get employment and financial independence. They also conduct certification courses from Adobe, Microsoft and Tally. As of today, they have 13 centres in 3 states, and have trained 13,078 students till date, 3489 above the age of 18, out of which 1632 have found employment. The 'Skill Centre' is another project in Greater Noida which trains women in stitching, pottery, enameled products and paper crafts, so that the women can secure a living after learning. It has been able to reach 999 women through its skill centres. The range of products developed at the Skill Centre is called the 'Sukriti Creation'.

Under the 'Advocacy' vertical, Udayan Care works with governmental and non-governmental organizations to promote policy reforms for homeless children in various spheres like education, physical and mental health, nutrition and livelihood. Some of the highlights of their work include; filing and winning a PIL to include a 'Guardian' column in Boards form along with 'Mother' and 'Father' in 2005. In 2008, they advocated for Child Protection Policies for adoption. In March 2014, they initiated the first Biennial Conference on 'Alternative Care' and launched the academic, bi-annual journal, named ‘Institutionalised Children: Explorations and Beyond’.

Udayan Care also has operations in Australia which were started in 2008 for raising funds. The products from the 'Skill Centres' are sold at fund-raising events. Udayan Care Germany was started in 2014 and funds journeys of 14 'Shalinis'. Udayan Care USA was founded in 2010 and has helped Udayan Care India in two major programmes which are Udayan Ghar and Udayan Shalini Fellowship (USF).

During 25 years of operation, it has impacted 18000 children,women and youth.