The social and economic cost of neglecting 'care leavers' who turn 18

The existing state-sponsored system doesn't go far enough to support orphans across the country

Here’s a slice from Samir’s life. He has no second name because he doesn’t remember who his parents were. At the age of six, Samir was found by the police in Ahmedabad wandering alone around the railway station. Attempts to track his parents down failed and he was sent to a care home in Gujarat.

The home provided no real education. Children were left to their own devices all day. Food and other basics were provided, if erratically. But early on, Samir knew he wanted to study. He was transferred from one institution to the other, usually failing to fit