Girish is a young person who had spent more than a decade living in a child care institution in Jaipur until the age of 21, when he moved out. He then worked at the Childline 1098 – an organization dedicated to protecting children’s Rights and while there interacted with numerous other careleavers who shared his struggles, like securing housing and food, obtaining career advice, etc. With limited resources, Girish took it upon himself to assist others in similar situations; from this grew a plan to form an official network for careleavers so that they may be given as much help as possible.
With the mindset of helping others like him in need, he along with his friend from child care institution started an organization-Careleavers Inner Circle Forum(CLiC). CLiC formally started in November 2021 as a Section 8 company, an organization for the Careleavers and by the Careleavers. It is working jointly with the UNICEF team in Rajasthan, the Department of Child’s Rights and Corporate Partner – Josh Community to provide solution and support to careleavers from survival to self -reliant.
CLiC began its operations in Rajasthan and will slowly move to other states in India. There are a total of 173 CCIs in Rajasthan housing over 3500 children. Every year more than 100 Careleavers leave their child care institution in Rajasthan alone. Our aim is to join them with the aftercare policy of the Government and provide them with all the required help so that they can become self reliant.
In conclusion, networking can be a powerful tool for careleavers looking to form a community of support. By connecting with others who have similar experiences, careleavers can learn from each other, access resources, and find new opportunities. As the saying goes, “your network is your net worth.” For careleavers, this rings especially true as the connections they make can have a significant impact on their lives. Therefore, it is important for us to prioritize networking and building a careleaver network.
