Girish grew up as a child laborer before entering an orphanage in 2007, an experience that transformed his life and opened access to education. When he aged out of care at 18, he felt “orphaned again,” navigating adulthood without guidance or support. While working to rescue children from labor and early marriage, he began to see how thousands of young people leaving institutional care faced the same struggles he had experienced.

Each year, 30,000–50,000 youth exit childcare institutions across India with limited life skills, insecure housing, missing identity documents, and little awareness of aftercare support. Fragmented government programs and a lack of mentoring leave many care leavers without the tools needed to build stable and independent lives.

In response, Girish founded CLiC Forum, a care-leaver-led platform connecting youth to housing, education, jobs, legal identity, and mental health support. Through a digital portal, helpline, and 48 partners nationwide, CLiC has supported over 3,000 care leavers and is working with state governments to build India’s first nationwide safety net for young people leaving care.