Lakshmi and Raju find each other through WAIC’s thoughtful work
Our main goal at WAIC is to make children in shelters visible and bring eligible children into the legal adoption pool. Sometimes though there are other unexpected positive outcomes. Here is one such story.
In 2022, Lakshmi and her brother Raju were rescued under different circumstances and admitted into separate Child Care Institutions (CCIs, aka shelters). There was no proper documentation connecting the two children as siblings. As years passed, the children didn’t know where the other was staying and there was no contact. No family members visited the children and their case files contained limited information.
In 2026, as Premalatha from WAIC was updating the children’s records in Lakshmi’s CCI, a staff member mentioned that Lakshmi often spoke about having a brother but did not know where he was. Premalatha recorded this information in WAIC’s CLMS system and decided to look into the data from other CCIs.
While reviewing the data from other CCIs, Premalatha found Raju’s record in which a sister had been mentioned but her whereabouts were unknown. This raised the possibility that the two records could belong to the same family.
Premalatha immediately coordinated with the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) and the CCI staff. Through detailed verification of available information, it was confirmed that Lakshmi and Raju were indeed biological siblings. The Child Welfare Committee (CWC) verified and officially acknowledged the sibling relationship.
A phone call was arranged between the siblings in May 2026. For the first time in years, the brother (9 years old) and sister (13 years old) spoke to each other. The conversation was emotional and both children expressed happiness at learning that their sibling was safe. The reconnection gave them a renewed sense of belonging. Following the successful phone conversation, arrangements were made for the children to meet in person before the CWC.
At WAIC, we believe that making vulnerable children visible is the first step to any successful rehabilitation. That’s what we do with CLMS – Child Lifecycle Management Solution – our software to digitize the records of all children in shelters.
Digitizing cases, regularly reviewing the CLMS records, and diligently following up on each case, is how WAIC case workers bring children into the legal adoption pool. And in many cases, help restore important family bonds.
We’ll share another story with you soon — until then, keep supporting WAIC and keep sharing our work with your network.
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 Lakshmi and her brother Raju into the legal adoption process.
