When IAPA received in custody a set of twins, both girls, they were indelicate health requiring close medical monitoring. Thanks to the loving care and nurturing by the foster mother, they speedily gained normalcy, developing into delightful active tots. Prospective adoptive parents in most cases, desire one child. Twins or siblings usually have to wait longer for placement. To our good fortune, at the time the twins came into our custody, a couple registered for adoption with us, giving their preference for adoption of two children. The coincidence was a 'Blessing' twice over, as the parents and our twins were united permanently!!

Adoption of a 15 year old boy with special needs, was a very happy occasion. In foster care with a family since the age of 11 months, he was now legally adopted by the foster family.A number of attempts to find a suitable adoptive family for him had failed due to the challenging needs, arising out of multiple disabilities and delayed development. Regular visits to a neurologist, proper medication, intense physiotherapy, special education and a lot of care and nurturing have made a remarkable amount of difference to his condition !!

Shama, a student of Std. X, came from a family on the verge of disintegration because of multiple crisis in their family. Her father lost his vision due to an accident, while her mother got paralysed and elder brother left his studies. Support to Shama and her family started under the BalSangopanYojana (BSY), brought about our intervention at various levels. Notable changes followed, with her brother becoming a contributing member after learning driving.The family was put in touch with an agency for availing food grains and her father was referred to NAB (National Association for Blind), which promoted his self-reliance. Shama has now completed her education in a mutually supportive family environment !!

Manoj who completed his graduation and is now pursuing Bachelors in Management Studies(BMS), feels that he is realizing what was earlier an impossible dream.His father having died of AIDS at a young age and his mother herself HIV positive,could barely cope with his upbringing, as also that of his siblings. Counseling, guidance and material help to Manoj and his mother,under the family preservation program, has gone a long way in motivating his mother to continue to look after her children inspite of the turmoil in their lives and brought Manoj to this stage in life, where the family can now look forward to a brighter future !!

Madhvi is a shining example of how sponsorship and its supportive services,can tap the potential of students and transform their lives. Besides regular financial and counseling assistance, timely intervention during her depression, career guidance at crucial junctures and loan to purchase a laptop; motivated her to successfully complete Business Management Studies (BMS). Her mother was assisted in augmenting her resources through training in a variety of trades, along with loans for purchasing mini flour mill and sewing machine. With these emotional and monetary supports, Madhvi blossomed into a confident and proficient girl, who has made her mark as a management professional in a foreign bank!

Akash graduated in Commerce with distinction. This is particularly significant as he overcame several challenges along the way; that are part of the lives of many of our sponsored children.His alcoholic father and over-burdened mother working as a domestic help, had no time to pay attention to their children. Akash had to struggle with his own studies and that of his two siblings. Having studied in Marathi medium in a BMC school, his transition to English medium in college, was fraught with difficulties. Support and counseling at every stage and arranging for coaching in academics, Computers and English-speaking; motivated Akash to complete his education. He is now working in a responsible post in a good company, providing the much needed support to his family members !!

Disha,an intelligent and ambitious girl living in the slums, completed her graduation in Commerce with Distinction. Her mother, a domestic worker toiling long hours, didn't let her own struggles come in the way of her daughter's education pursuits. IAPA's supports including coaching class assistance at decisive points of her academic journey, helped her to forge ahead. Knowing her potential and keen desire to study further, IAPA networked with other agencies to make available the cost of fees for M. Com and Company Secretary courses. Disha completed the courses with flying colours and now works as a successful Financial Service Consultant !!

Nita, is looking forward to giving wings to her aspirations. Multiple supports under our projects had motivated her illiterate grandmother to educate Nita and her brother, when they lost the support of their parents. Nita was also encouraged to pursue her varied interests and assisted in completing necessary courses for the same. Having graduated in Arts (Sociology)with Distinction,she voiced her aspiration to take up Master of Business Administration (MBA) course. She has now embarked on this academic journey with CSR support from a company associated with us !!

Arjun, an orphan boy looked after by his uncle and aunt, was referred to our CGC for an ongoing bed wetting problem, coupled with a scary episode in school and subsequent incident of running away. His clinical diagnosis revealed slight distortion in his perception of reality, self esteem issues and dyslexia. Regular counseling, medication and remedial therapy, helped Arjun cope with his multiple issues. His fears reduced, he became morer ealistic in his approach to life and there were no further incidents of bed wetting or his running away. He also became consistent in his studies and passed his exams successfully !!

Subhash, a Std. IV student referred for violent behavior by his teachers, was diagnosed to be suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and needing medication. His mother, a single parent, was persuaded to start regular medication and counseling for him. This resulted in a remarkable improvement in his condition, with Subhash becoming calmer, less disruptive and aggressive. Moreover he became aware of the importance of treatment and started taking medicines on his own !!

Life took a turn for the worse for Kartik, an otherwise carefree boy studying in Std. II, under one of our projects.Starting with difficulties in standing, sitting and walking, his ailment soon made him totally immobile and bed ridden. When his parents died, his 63 year old paternal grandmother,took up his responsibility. Diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder which weakened his muscles,Kartik was helped with multiple supports to undergo Stem Cell Therapy, which included several surgeries. Apart from raising funds for the same and providing nutritional support, IAPA enrolled him in a day care school for the physically handicapped; who provided him a wheel chair. Timely medical support helped them to cope with the turbulent situation and come out stronger !!

Kapil, hailing from a migrant single parent family, was one of the most mischevious boys in the BMC school he was enrolled in. His mother tongue being Bengali and his mother being preoccupied with her daily challenges, Kapil struggled to cope with his studies. Tapping his interest in English language, in order to become a ‘big’ man, Asmita teachers encouraged him to attend the Project. Participation in dance and yoga activities offered therein, brought forth his hidden talents and a lot of positive attention. Mid-day snacks provided the much needed nutritional input lacking earlier. All this combined with regular coaching, started transforming Kapil into an enthusiastic student. He is now a motivated student who looks forward to attending school regularly.

Jyoti, a good student, came from a very poor family where her ailing father did not work and mother earned meager income as a maid servant; even as she took care of her three girls and husband suffering from schizophrenia. Jyoti was required to share the household work and be a part of her mother's struggles. IAPA helped her to complete a General Nursing Midwifery course, after which Jyoti is earning a decent amount in a well-known Hosptial.

Urvi, a visually impaired woman, whose daughter is doing well under our project, sells pickles, papad, incense sticks, and the like. She needed a machine to seal these products in plastic bags. Loan given to her under micro-credit project, helped her to purchase the necessary equipment. She is now happy with the increase in customers and income, due to this simple but effective change in packaging her products !!