What happens to an orphan once they reach the age of 18?

OrphanCare Head Azad Zaheed (second from left) handing over the OrphanCare Corporate Partnership agreement to Agility Innovation, represented by Just In Time Technologies Chief Executive Officer Chrishan Mendis, in the presence of OrphanCare Deputy Head Marshad Barry (extreme left), KBSL Chief Executive Officer Ehantha Sirisena (second from right), and JIT Resourcing and Consultancy Services Chief Executive Officer Sherene Goonetilleke (extreme right) 

• OrphanCare teams up with Agility Innovation for a pressing need

Would you stop caring for your children once they turn 18? As parents, could we ever imagine abandoning our children at 18 – cutting off all sources of assistance and comfort, all love and nurturing? This is not the fate of an orphan unfortunately. An orphan spends the majority of their young life living in Child Care Institutions (CCI) across Sri Lanka. The home – at times, overcrowded, understaffed, and neglected – does not provide a comfortable life, but it is the only protection they have known, and they have survived. But once an orphan turns 18, they can no longer live at the CCI and they have to step out into the world alone with absolutely no help.

This is precisely the situation in which many orphans find themselves as they transition out, or ‘age-out’, of CCIs and that is exactly where OrphanCare, an independent trust dedicated to supporting orphaned children, takes over. OrphanCare’s unwavering commitment is to nurture orphaned children, empowering them to lead fulfilling lives after they leave their care homes. 

With such an impactful mission, that resonated with the ongoing commitment to making a positive impact beyond their business operations, it is no surprise that Agility Innovation Ltd., the holding company of a growing ICT conglomerate in Sri Lanka partnered with OrphanCare taking a significant step in addressing the needs of orphaned children aging out of the system and enhancing their quality of life and making their future promising. 

“Thrown into society, insecure and ill-prepared for the trials of modern adult life, these children can easily slip into poverty, despair, addiction and crime. By teaming together, we aspire to be a catalyst in providing them a hopeful tomorrow, and preventing a second abandonment in their lives,” stated Just In Time Technologies Ltd. CEO Chrishan Mendis representing Agility Innovation Ltd.

Mendis further stated, “By providing the necessary skills, opportunities, and support however, we can put them on the path to a successful and productive life. Orphans who have reached young adulthood aspire to fully participate in our society. It is our collective responsibility to recognise their agency and resilience and provide them a future with choices.”

Partnership opportunities offered by OrphanCare include Corporate, Service and Care Partnerships, where Corporate Partners contribute an annual financial contribution to the OrphanCare Trust Fund. Service Partners provide support in areas such as media, creative production, logistics, loyalty platforms and events, and Care Partners enrich the lives of orphans through initiatives in health, education, vocational training, employment and more.  Airing his views on the partnership between the two entities, OrphanCare Chairman Ruzly Hussain stated, “We are delighted to welcome Agility Innovation Ltd. as a corporate partner dedicated to supporting the cause of Orphans needs in Sri Lanka. We have no doubt this collaboration will add much value to the cause and help infuse hope and enhance benefits to this disadvantaged segment of our society.” Currently OrphanCare has registered 90 orphanages all over Sri Lanka for this venture and with over 3,000 orphans enrolled with funds in excess of Rs. 54 million disbursed. The OrphanCare team is engaged in identifying and profiling Orphans who are registered with OrphanCare and reaching the age of 18 to facilitate value adding engagements towards guiding them in the right direction with financial and qualitative support. Such profiling is done capturing their educational levels, language skills and career aspirations based on which the OrphanCare team facilitates their needs by matching their requirements with forthcoming donors of both individual and institutional capacity. This will continue to be a strong area of focus of the OrphanCare initiative. The OrphanCare Trust is administered by a team of trustees who have a track record of passionate social service and includes Chairman of the Trust Ruzly Hussain (Founder of the Rotaract movement in Sri Lanka), Osman Kassim (Founder and Past Chairman Amãna Bank) K.R. Ravindran (Chairman, Board of Trustees of Rotary Foundation USA and former President Rotary International), Jazri Magdon Ismail – Treasurer (Past President AAT), Sharad Amalean (Co-Founder MAS Holdings), Tyeab Akbarally (Senior Director Akbar Brothers) Harsha Amarasekera (President’s Counsel), Deshabandu Tilak de Zoysa (Chairman Helpage Sri Lanka) and Mohamed Azmeer (MD/CEO Amãna Bank). The trustees have instituted a strong governance framework to maintain the highest standards of integrity and ensure the long-term sustainability of the Trust.