Strengthening Families, Empowering Children and Communities | January 2025 Update

This year, we celebrate 25 years of Miracle Foundation. We began with an orphanage care model, improving the lives of over 10,000 children. But we recognized that every child belongs in a family. Pioneering a family-based care model, we have been able to place 3,919 children into safe, nurturing families by March 2024, and counting. Now, we’re breaking new ground with our app, ThriveWell. It empowers social workers to provide individualized care and drives scalable, systemic change. Together, we’ve made a miraculous impact—and the best is yet to come. Thank you for helping us build a world where every child thrives.

Thankful,

Caroline

Founder, Miracle Foundation

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This year, Miracle Foundation celebrates 25 years of transforming lives, thanks to your unwavering support. Together, we’ve been able to improve the lives of 276,169 children from April 2023 to March 2024, linking 1,023 families with social protection schemes and training 5,744 social workers and government officials during this period to better care for children.

This milestone honors our commitment to helping children reach their full potential and inspires us to continue building a world where every child thrives in a loving family.

Looking ahead, we’re expanding family-strengthening programs, scaling impact through innovation like our ThriveWell app, and collaborating globally to create family-centered systems.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Together, we’ll make the next 25 years even more impactful.

With gratitude,

Leslie Beasley

CEO, Miracle Foundation

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Wishing you and your loved ones a joyful and prosperous New Year!?

As we step into 2025, we are filled with gratitude for the incredible journey that has brought us here. This year marks a special milestone as The Miracle Foundation celebrates 25 years of impact—a year of gratitude and reflection.?

This milestone would not have been possible without the unwavering dedication of our social workforce, the invaluable support of governments and communities, and the encouragement of each one of you. Thank you for being an integral part of our story and helping us build brighter futures for children and families.?

As we celebrate this journey, we remain inspired to continue transforming lives, one step at a time. Stay tuned as we share reflections, stories, and plans to advance our vision for the children and families who motivate us every day.?

With heartfelt thanks,

Kusum Mohapatra

CEO & Regional Director, Miracle Foundation India?

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Transforming Children’s Lives through Family Strengthening

Miracle Foundation India is dedicated to ensuring that every child grows up in a loving and supportive environment, preferably within their family and is not institutionalized. However, numerous children are often separated from their families and placed in Child Care Institutions (CCIs) due to challenges such as poverty, illness, or family instability. Rakesh (name changed), from Satara, Maharashtra, is one such example. Financial hardships and his father’s deteriorating health led the local Child Welfare Committee (CWC) to place Rakesh in a CCI. After his father passed away, Rakesh’s mother was left to manage their remote farm on her own, with no support from extended family.

The turning point for Rakesh came when the CCI superintendent identified him as suitable for family reintegration following the training sessions on family-based care facilitated by Miracle Foundation India. A series of interventions were subsequently planned; and the journey began with counseling his mother, empowering her to rebuild her confidence and prepare for a more stable future for herself and her children. With support from Anganwadi workers and community leaders, she thereafter secured a job as an Anganwadi helper and supplemented her income through daily wage farming. Both Rakesh and his sister received educational assistance; Rakesh enrolled in an ITI course in electronics while his sister continued her studies with support from two organizations, namely Catalysts for Social Action and New Vision. Additionally, the family was assisted in getting a ration card under the Public Distribution System.

After three years in institutional care, Rakesh is now happily reunited with his mother. Although challenges remain as the family is readjusting, they have found a sense of hope and stability. His mother, now financially independent, is being guided towards completing her 12th Board to secure a full-time Anganwadi Sevika position. Inspired by her, Rakesh’s sister dreams of becoming a nurse, while Rakesh focuses on excelling in his course and supporting his family.

With continued guidance from Miracle Foundation India and its partners, the family receives regular follow-up visits to help them address emerging needs. As The Miracle Foundation celebrates 25 years of transforming lives, Rakesh’s story showcases how collaborative efforts can reunite families and empower children to reach their full potential.

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?Celebrating Anandhan

For 25 years, The Miracle Foundation has been committed to empowering children to thrive in nurturing, family-based care. As we celebrate this milestone, we also honor the incredible social workforce making our efforts possible. This month, we highlight the inspiring work of Anandhan, In-Charge of Tirupur Social Service Organisation (TISSO), a child care institution in Tamil Nadu.?

Anandhan’s journey towards shifting from institutional care to family-based care was sparked by the capacity-building sessions facilitated by Miracle Foundation India. These sessions fueled his belief that every child deserves to grow up in a permanent, loving family. Following this, Anandhan and his team conducted a comprehensive review of children in their care, including connecting with their parents and guardians to understand each family’s unique challenges. This empathy-driven approach marked the beginning of transformative change.

Partnering with social workers, local organizations and other stakeholders, Anandhan mobilized resources and collaborated with the Tirupur District Child Protection Unit and Child Welfare Committee to facilitate access to the Mission Vatsalya Sponsorship Scheme for seven families in need. Through his efforts, 24 children from TISSO were reintegrated - with 17 being reunited with their birth families, four being transitioned to kinship care, and three entering foster care. Two more children are currently in the foster care process, reflecting Anandhan’s deep commitment to family-based solutions.

Anandhan’s strong community engagement built a network of support, ensuring children thrive in loving environments. “Real change doesn’t happen overnight, but it does happen when we work together with a shared vision,” states Anandhan highlighting the power of collective action.

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From Care to Leadership: Youth Ambassadors Making an Impact

Miracle Foundation India’s Youth Ambassadors, drawn from Child Care Institutions and local communities, play a vital role in raising awareness about the importance of a family for every child and driving meaningful impact. This month, we celebrate Akhila Butta from Telangana, whose journey with Miracle Foundation India began in 2014; she eventually became our Youth Ambassador in 2022.

Living with her mother and grandmother, Akhila struggled to stay motivated amidst the family’s financial difficulties that also hindered her pursuit of education. At the age of 10, a relative placed her in a Child Care Institution (CCI), where she stayed until her first year of graduation, following which she was reunited with her mother. Despite all challenges, she eventually earned an MBA in Finance, and embraced opportunities for both personal and professional growth.?

Motivated by the desire to give back to her community and to be their voice, Akhila has been raising awareness on important issues such as preventing child marriage, conflict management, mental health, and the importance of education. As a Youth Ambassador, she has facilitated life skills education, teaching young people about empathy, responsibility and aspirations. Miracle Foundation India has played a pivotal role in Akhila’s journey, offering her guidance, mentorship and networking opportunities, thereby helping her amplify her voice and expand her impact.

Looking ahead, Akhila aspires to secure a government job to better support those in need and advance her outreach. Her goal is to empower even more young people, particularly through initiatives focused on mental health, education and life skills in CCIs, government schools, and colleges. Akhila is also focused on developing leadership programs and collaborating with other organizations to amplify youth voices.?

Recently selected for the Learning In Fellowship Together (LIFT) program by Udayan Care, a one-year fellowship focused on developing and nurturing care-experienced youth as agents of change, Akhila is excited about the future and remains committed to creating sustainable change.

Recently, on the occasion of National Youth Day on January 12, 2025, we asked the amazing youth who we work with: “Where do you see yourself at 25?”. Hear their voices as they share their aspirations, offering a glimpse into the bright futures they are working towards. Their stories further strengthen our commitment to helping every child reach their full potential.

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Celebrating 25 Years of Impact with Major Milestones

The Miracle Foundation’s 25-year milestone was accompanied by significant achievements across three states of India that promise to pave the way for brighter futures for all children.

In Maharashtra, we recently secured a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Women and Child Development Department, Maharashtra, which would help advance our transition, prevention, and family strengthening interventions across 36 districts of the state. It is aimed towards building the capacity of child protection functionaries at state and district levels to ensure the safe transition of children from Child Care Institutions (CCIs) back to families, besides preventing separation in the first place. All interventions are intended to be driven by the voices of children and youth, and to enable care-experienced youth to lead meaningful and productive lives.

Additionally, in Madhya Pradesh, we’ve formally signed an MoU with the Women and Child Development Department, Madhya Pradesh, to take our transition and prevention-related initiatives forward across 13 districts using our ThriveScaleTM methodology. This methodology assesses the well-being of children and families across five domains, namely Health & Mental Health, Education, Family & Social Relationships, Household Economy and Living Conditions.

In Gujarat, we’ve received a Letter of Intent (LoI), enabling us to work on prevention in three districts, namely, Chhota Udepur, Mehsana and Vadodara, and on transition in Chhota Udepur using the ThriveScaleTM tool.

These milestones definitely bring us closer to enabling children to thrive in safe, loving environments.

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Symposium on Child Safety, Child Protection, and Child Welfare

Miracle Foundation India, in collaboration with Bal Kalyan Sangh and the Jharkhand State Child Protection Society, hosted the ‘Jharkhand Symposium on Child Safety, Child Protection, and Child Welfare’ on December 12, 2024. This event marks a significant milestone in strengthening child protection systems under Mission Vatsalya.

Over the past few months, we have held five divisional consultations across Jharkhand, gathering insights on successes and identifying critical implementation gaps. These sessions brought together over 700 stakeholders, including Deputy Commissioners, District Development Officers, Police Officers, Education Officers, District Social Welfare teams, and representatives from both government and non-government sectors.

The symposium served as a dynamic platform to:

• Share key insights and learnings from the divisional consultations,
• Deliberate on actionable recommendations to bridge identified gaps, and
• Develop a comprehensive, collaborative roadmap for enhancing Mission Vatsalya’s implementation.

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Donor Testimonial

“I started supporting Miracle Foundation India during their Mother’s Day campaign, and it has been such a fulfilling journey. Knowing that my contributions help reunite children with their families, and provide them with love, care and opportunities is incredibly rewarding. It’s heartwarming to see the impact of their work and to be part of a mission that truly transforms lives. Miracle Foundation India gives me the chance to make a real difference, and I’m proud to support their cause.”

-Makarand Pathak, Maharashtra

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Resource Links

• IACN: In Conversation with Practitioners on Children's Right to Participation During Transition to Family
• Number of children in institutional care declined by 17 per cent in recent years: WCD data
• Compilation of testimonials of children and adults during National Children’s Consultation held in Delhi on November 27-28, 2024