More children find families as India's adoption landscape shifts

Neeraj’s (name changed) note to his mother was simple yet profound: “I love you Mom because you take me out to play.”

- 

Neeraj’s words have been the culmination of a journey that began four years earlier, when he was born with a condition called “knock knees” and left at a Child Care Institution just a day old. He was put up for adoption, and for years, families hesitated, often discouraged by his medical condition.

His story was one of waiting for the right family, waiting to be seen and chosen.

Families came and went, but his diagnosis often led to the end of the conversation. That was until 2021, when a couple saw him not as a problem to be solved, but as “their child.”

Since then, Neeraj’s life has transformed. His new parents enrolled him in swimming lessons to help with his legs, took him for regular check ups, and showered him with love.

Today, he is thriving, learning to swim, acting in school plays, and mastering parkour. Neeraj’s journey is not an isolated one.

In India, there has been a noticeable surge in adoption numbers over the past decade, with their number increasing from 3,677 in 2015-16 to 4,027 in 2018-19.