A Future For Every Child
Organization background

A Future for Every Child (AFEC) addresss the support of yoith who are required to leave foster care homes or orphanages at the age of 18, but may not necessarily be prepared to stand on their own feet by then. AFEC's mission is to empower these Youth Leaving Care (YLCs), to achieve their full potential and live productive, happy lives with stable employment. They serve youth, focusing on ages 18-23, who have spent some or all their lives in Care Homes (CHs) in India.

Youth from 7 states are enrolled in their program - Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Goa, Gujarat, Delhi and Tamil Nadu. They provide full scholarships for higher education or skills training; food and housing security for the duration of the course; career counseling; life-skills training and job placement assistance for 2 years of mentorship, post-employment.

AFEC implements this program in partnership with carefully vetted NGO partners in India.

Project Background

Government data shows Tamil Nadu has the highest number of abandoned children in India, and a large proportion of them face abuse and neglect in the CHs. Having lived most of their lives in deplorable conditions with little to no community support, they are forced to leave CHs at 18 with no skills or knowledge about how to navigate the complexities of adulthood.

AFEC addresses the needs of these youth. As part of their core program, Launchpad for Adulthood (LFA), AFEC Achievers, or youth enrolled in the program, first receive career counseling. Based on their interests, aptitude, and level of schooling, AFEC Achievers decide on vocational training or higher education. AFEC also provides seed funding to encourage entrepreneurship. They receive soft skills training in communication; workplace readiness; independent living skills such as digital and financial literacy; and support to acquire government identification. They also provide smartphones as needed and lessons in conversational English to improve their job prospects, along with access to a peer support network.

GKF contributions to AFEC