Safe care and adoption for Indian Babies

Thank you so much for your support. There are many reasons why babies end up in our care but as our founder Dr Girish Kulkarni says:

"Every child must have a family and an opportunity to find their potential,”

which is exactly what you are helping us to do.

In many cases we never find out the circumstances why a mother has abandoned a baby, in other cases it’s because she is unmarried or has been raped. Babies are often left on temple steps and public places such as bus and train stations where they will found quickly and brought to us. However often, they are sadly found too late which is why we appreciate and cherish every child who ends up in our care.

We’d like to share one of many similar stories we have to tell that will help you appreciate the real difference your donation makes to vulnerable babies:

Destiny’s Child

At about 4am on the morning of 17 April, as the night shift was ending and the childcare team were preparing for the next shift to arrive, a peculiar wailing could be heard from near our front gate. At first they couldn’t tell where the cry was coming from but upon closer inspection of the cradle, which sits outside the gate for mothers to safely leave their unwanted babies, they saw a tiny baby trembling and crying.

They scooped the baby girl up and carried her into the sanctuary of our adoption centre where our chief caretaker and duty nurse established she needed immediate medical attention. Meanwhile the abandoned child had been reported to the police who arrived shortly after and, sensing the critical nature of the infant’s condition, advised the team to take the baby straight to the hospital and complete the legal formalities later.

Three staff rushed to our nearest intensive care and neonatal unit where the baby was immediately ventilated and prescribed with such a long list of medication, her chance of survival seemed slim. The doctors explained that she was two months’ premature and having been exposed to the elements and pollution had developed pneumonia and was experiencing difficulty in breathing.

Following extreme precaution and with proper medical care and nursing our premature girl started responding to treatment and within 15 to 20 days her health had improved. Just as our Snehankur team was about to heave a sigh of relief, the infant started coughing severely while drinking her milk. Once again her condition became critical with further intensive medical attention needed.

We’re extremely relieved and pleased to say that following dedicated medical treatment and nursing the baby girl is in a stable condition once again. Her milk intake is now a healthy 30mls and we hope she will soon be completely out of danger. After all, she is destiny’s child and born to survive.

Petition update

Thank you if you signed the petition asking the President of India to reconsider proposed changes to the adoption process. We are concerned that by moving the process online and removing some of the current vetting processes it would be easier and quicker for anyone, including traffickers and non-Indians, to adopt a child. 

As part of the Federation of Adoptive Agencies we took our petition to the Mumbai High Court who ruled that the changes proposed were in conflict with the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and should be revised. The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) has instead decided that the Act itself should be changed.

We now anxiously await the court deadline of 21 July for the outcome and if it does not satisfy our concerns we will again be asking for your help to ensure vulnerable babies are not put at risk.

Help educate children

If you like this project you may also be interested to read how we support older children through their education.

In three months, thanks to your generosity, another 14 abandoned babies have been rescued and welcomed in at our Snehankur Adoption Centre. Often they are abandoned at birth by young women concealing a rape and too scared to access vital medical support and post-natal care for fear of being ostracized in their communities. Two such babies were extremely low in their birth weights and needed extra love and ICU treatment to survive. Your support allows dedicated professionals to offer round the clock emergency care and our two premature babies are now safe and thriving. Three of our younger residents have started preschool, taking the first steps into education.

Snehankur aspires to be the ‘go to’ safe haven for every vulnerable child and baby throughout our local district. In the coming months we are planning intensive outreach activity to help spread the word to rape victims and unmarried mothers that we offer a safe and loving sanctuary where they can bring their babies without judgement or recrimination.

Now, more than ever, our infants need your support. We receive no money from the government to cover the costs of looking after the babies left in our care, so we desperately need your help in meeting expenses for essential supplies such as milk powder, purified water, disinfectants, nappies, vaccinations and medical tests and treatments to ensure their healthy child development and safe adoption. We are also running out of room so are happy to report that we have recently completed the first phase of a new 4000 square feet site which will provide improved facilities such as an older children's room, a play area, an isolation room and a neonatal intensive care unit.

By becoming a regular donor of this project for just $10 or £5 a month you can help provide much needed help and support to a new born baby and their mother. If you can consider forgoing one small luxury a month to help a helpless child please click the currency you wish to give in to SAVE LIVES.

Help keep our babies safe

Since January, Snehankur has also found adoptive families for 16 babies. We take pride in finding these safe and loving homes for our rescued children. However, we are concerned that the Indian government is now in the process of making drastic changes to the current adoption guidelines. By moving the process online and removing some of the current vetting processes it will now be easier and quicker for anyone, including traffickers and non-Indians, to adopt a child. We would like to see a stricter and more controlled system in place that allows for continued dialogue before and after children have been placed in adoptive homes.

 You can help us to ensure abandoned children are not exploited. Sign and share this petition to the Indian President asking him to tighten the Indian adoption process before it’s too late.