An aftercare facility with branches in Bengaluru and Chennai, the WeLive Foundation aids orphans in navigating the world and smoothly transitioning to independent living after leaving childcare institutions at the age of 18
MARIA FERNANDES | NT
Every year, about 60,000 young orphans are forced to leave childcare institutions when they turn 18 and face an uncertain world, without any place to live or any means of employment. Exiting their long-time residences is extremely difficult for these youngsters as often they are ill-equipped for the journey ahead, jeopardising the progress fostered by their earlier institutional care. WeLive Foundation, in Bengaluru and Chennai, is an aftercare facility that empowers these young adults (called care leavers) by facilitating their well-being and work readiness through its bridge programmes.
“Our objective is to support the transition of care leavers to independent living. We offer them more than just shelter, we give them dignity, purpose, and a path to self-reliance,” says chief executive officer at WeLive Foundation Ramya Sundararajan, who has been involved with the organisation since its programme inception stage. Starting off as the head of programmes for two years before transitioning into her current leadership role, Sundararajan says her journey with WeLive has been incredibly meaningful.
The story of WeLive began when one of its founders, a former CCI warden, saw firsthand the difficulties young adults faced upon leaving institutional care. “When a few of them turned 18, he took them into his home,” explains Sundararajan. “They lived with him for the next two to three years while they figured out their next steps. That was the genesis of the foundation.”
The early days were challenging as it was the time of COVID-19. “We couldn’t open the centres or meet the youth and we had to engage with them online. We did this by organising workshops for the children who were still in the institutions. We worked with them on areas like spoken English, career counselling, time management, stress management, and more,” shares Sundararajan. “We also spoke to a lot of stakeholders like child care institutions, care leavers, child welfare committee members, government departments and other NGOs to gather more information about this space.”
The foundation finally opened its first centre for young men in Bengaluru in December 2020, with just five residents. Today, it has expanded to three residential programmes across Bengaluru and Chennai, supporting both men and women.
Besides the delay in opening the centre, there were other hurdles too. “When we first started, our focus was on educating the residents with the required knowledge and skills and helping them secure jobs. However, ensuring they stayed in these jobs proved to be a challenge as many, like most of us, switched two or three jobs before settling down,” says Sundararajan.
The severe trauma that many of the residents carry makes it difficult to function hence focussing on studies or work too is hard, explains Sundararajan. In her leadership role, empathy is a key requirement and is also at the core of her approach in making a difference. “We do not try to probe into the specifics of their trauma but instead focus on recognising that trauma exists and respond with compassion,” she adds as she explains the core values of the foundation. “Our goal is to engage in a way that helps them take small but meaningful steps forward.”
Persistence and hard work combined with a deep focus on the needs of care leavers helped Sundararajan and the team build WeLive. “The ability to get up every day and work with optimism and hope is key. Not giving up when it’s one step forward and two steps backwards is equally important. I realised that all small steps come together at some point and learned to be patient and keep doing what I do every single day on a consistent basis,” she states.
And successful graduation of the youth, she says, is always the biggest milestone. “We have worked with around 200 youth in the residential programme and more than 100 of them have successfully graduated,” she says. “Education, skilling, employment, investments and money management, capacity for decision making, improved physical and mental health, ability to navigate the daily challenges of life are some of the markers for the successful graduation of youth. “
For those who want to work in similar fields and make a difference for the less fortunate, she says, “In the social impact space, you always gain more than you give. To be on this path, one needs hope and optimism, never-say-die spirit, the capacity to find joy and success in all things big and small, and the ability to enjoy being part of the journey of beneficiaries with love and kindness.”
