Helping Hand

When Girish Mehta was told he would have to leave the orphanage he had grown up in, panic and depression set in. He made a few calls looking for a job that would also provide him a roof over his head and landed one with a children's helpline, 1098, in Jaipur.

- -Monica Bathija

Girish Mehta (27) Founder and director, CLIC Forum

Anisha Sharma (27) Co-founder and CEO, CLIC Forum

That led to interactions not just with children in trouble but also the police, orphanages and nonprofit organisations. In 2019, he set up an informal WhatsApp group of about 20 to 25 people from orphanages who could reach out to each other in times of need, something that stood them in good stead when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. In 2021, he approached Unicef for support and help for careleavers, and when he was advised to register a nonprofit, he set up CareLeavers Inner Circle Forum or CLiC, a social impact platform for and by careleavers.