Udayan is one of ICG Foundations first charities – an organisation that transforms young ladies’ lives by protecting and nurturing vulnerable children and youth, igniting the spark in young women to pursue higher education, creating livelihoods though digital education and skilling, and advocating the rights of children and youth.
About Udayan
The establishment started as a small family home for orphaned and abandoned children in Sant Nagar, Delhi in 1996. Udayan Care has spread its work for disadvantaged groups by establishing more family homes, helping girls' education, and providing vocational training. To date, Udayan Care has nurtured over 25,000 young minds. This has been made possible only through the support of like-minded people, donors and partners who believed in Udayan Care's work and their mission.
Education
In India, girls' education is often considered the lowest priority; particularly, a girl's higher education. The COVID-19 pandemic has only made the issue worse. According to a Right to Education Forum policy brief (2021), ten million girls in India dropped out of secondary school due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For millions of girls across India, getting an education is the only way to escape poverty, abuse, early marriage, and early pregnancy. A variety of factors already prevent girls in India from going to school, especially those who come from rural areas or low-income communities.
Udayan Shalini Fellowship
Udayan Shalini Fellowship Program (USF) of Udayan Care, gets involved with girls from semi-rural backgrounds where the dropout rate is high due to various social and economic barriers. This program ensures that young girls from economically disadvantaged families can aspire and achieve their dreams by completing their higher education and becoming independent, empowered women.
These girls from USF are not orphans but come from villages where financial situations are very restrained. The girls spend 5 years with Udayan, getting scholarships and mentoring (the last 2 years of school and 3 years of college).
ICG director, Rajnish Virmani conducts regular group workshops mentoring and teaching the girls self-confidence, English conversation, presentation skills and interviewing skills to enhance their employability.
ICG involvement
These workshop sessions are conducted face-to-face or via Zoom almost every weekend. Rajnish has also regularly taken the girls to the ICG Medical office in Gurgaon to show them the multinational office environment that they should aspire to. Coming from small villages, they are not used to seeing big office environments, and this is a big eye opener for them.
The young girls perform exceptionally well and graduate with flying colours in Science, Commerce and Humanities. They are smart and intelligent but just lack self-confidence and opportunities. ICG Medical provides them with that, and they are well on their way to supporting themselves and their families.
Work opportunities
ICG provide the girls with work opportunities by introducing the best girls in the passing batch to the UK managers. The selection process includes a written test, interview and a home visit for the 40 girls selected each year.
This has resulted in successful candidates receiving internships for Cromwell Medical Staffing. They have moved onto roles such as HR Executive, Payroll Executive and Finance Executive. They have continued to grow and thrive within the business, thanks to the dedication and commitment of Ranjnish and the involvement of ICG Foundation.
Summary
Youth living in underprivileged communities lack employment opportunities and the chance to train themselves with the skills needed to pave the way for better employment. Such potential should not be wasted. If you wish to get involved in this great initiative and help children and youth bloom into confident, self-reliant individuals, you can click the ‘donate’ button on our website.
