In 2021, 10-year old Rehman was found alone near a busy intersection by the NGO Childline.
The district’s Child Welfare Committee (CWC) placed him in the local government shelter for boys, where Rehman’s counseling revealed that his mother had died during childbirth and his father had abandoned the family, leaving Rehman without support.
By January 2022, the required abandonment procedures were completed: newspaper notifications were issued, police inquiries were closed, and no claimants came forward. Then everything stopped.
Rehman’s case remained stagnant for nearly two years because the newly appointed CWC members were unsure about adoption procedures, and the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) was reluctant to consider an older child for adoption. Not just Rehman, the district had not declared any child legally adoptable for two years.
Shivaraja from WAIC identified Rehman’s long-pending case while reviewing the shelter’s cases in 2024. Recognising serious procedural gaps, Shivaraja stepped in with targeted capacity-building for the CWC – helping them understand adoption laws and processes. WAIC also assisted in Rehman’ documentation, advocated with the DCPU, and helped reactivate the district’s inactive adoption system.
Rehman’s case was finally revived. He was declared legally free for adoption (LFA) by July 2025 and matched with an adoptive family by August 2025.
WAIC case workers like Shivaraja not only work on children’s cases; many times they also work to start or revive an entire district that has never prioritised adoption.
As always, thanks to all our donors, supporters, and well-wishers – on behalf of the children whose cases we work on, and on behalf of our team.
*image for illustration purposes only
Donate today to change a child’s tomorrow. Your support of our FY 2026–27 fundraiser ensures our social workers can keep bringing children like Rehman into the legal adoption process.
