You are here

Udayan Ghars' Aftercare Programme

About the Programme

Once a child reaches the age of 18, they are considered to be adults as per the Juvenile Justice Act and have to leave the care homes.  At 18, these young adults are not fully equipped to handle life by themselves and need a helping hand in the form of continued education, training, counselling, mentoring and support. The Aftercare Programme bridges the gap for young adults of the ages 18 to 21 who are leaving their Udayan Ghars, by providing continued rehabilitative services and accommodation options in community, group or scattered housing.

Programme Objective

A stepping-stone towards self-reliance

Children from NGOs have usually had a late start; many children who come to Udayan Ghars have never had formal schooling before. The Aftercare programme has been established to ease youngsters at Udayan Ghars into their adult responsibilities, before their rehabilitation into society. Within a few years and with continued support in the form of education, training, livelihood assistance and mental health inputs, our youth attain both the skills and the confidence to move out into the world.

Easing the financial burden

Through the Aftercare Programme, the youngsters have access to a secure place to stay for free. We ease the stress of finances through monetary support, which gives our youth the freedom to pursue their professional or vocational education according to their interests and aptitude. During the course of vocational training, a stipend may be provided till the youngster gains employment. The programme necessitates that these youngsters make appropriate career choices that enable them to earn a decent living for themselves after they leave Aftercare.

Avoiding pitfalls

To shield our youth from the common pitfalls faced by many in their peer group—such as alcohol or drug related problems, psychological problems, credit trouble, unemployment or even homelessness—we provide them with continuous mentoring, counselling and trainings. Our Aftercare youth turn out to be socially responsible adults, with sound ethics and values. They value diversity; respect people irrespective of any social construct such as class, gender or ethnicity and posses the ability to form healthy adult relationships.