We are glad to share that, with the support and approval of the Commissionerate of Women and Child Development in Maharashtra, we have the go ahead to pilot our prototype technology solution, called Child Lifecycle Technology Solution, in Maharashtra. This trial will take place specifically in two districts, Aurangabad and Mumbai, where relevant details of children in Child Shelters will be digitised and assessed, with the aim of tracking children’s status and flagging children who can potentially be brought into the legal adoption process. The Mumbai pilot implementation is being led by the Bal Asha Trust team, who have been rehabilitating vulnerable children for more than 35 years.
Since as far back as the 1940s, studies have proven that orphanages and shelters are damaging to the wellbeing of children and alternative care systems need to be put in place such as family-based care or legal adoption. In India, only 1% of children in Child Shelters are ever even given the opportunity to be evaluated for such care despite 30,000+ waiting adoptive parents. Our role is clear: we want to use technology to make these children identifiable to the authorities, drive more evaluations and ensure the best outcome for each child.
The implementation of our prototype in Maharashtra is an encouraging milestone in achieving our mission. We would like to give our heartfelt thanks to the MWCD and Bal Asha Trust for their leadership, support, and cooperation in this important field of child welfare.
