The First Day I Received an Abandoned Child

It was a cold winter morning. We got a call from Thiruvannamalai to receive a baby. As I had joined the  Adoption Unit in  2017, the next person in line to receive the child was me. I was a bit hesitant to go, but that was my job and I did venture forth. I left home at 06 am and I was so happy to travel and, on the way, I enjoyed listening to songs. For me it was like an adventure.

While I was enroute my Coordinator called me twice and asked whether I had reached, and had received the child or not. As soon as I reached the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), the Chairperson and Members immediately informed the Government Hospital and coordinated with the PO NIC and at the earliest they brought the child to CWC. The Chairperson and Members first saw the child and it was then shown to me. The female baby was so adorable and cute and everyone had many questions on their minds.

The questions were like – 

How can a person abandon the cute little one?
What might be the reason?
How long was the child crying for milk?
Why had the mother surrendered the child?
What if some animals had attacked the child? 

All the paperwork was completed and at last the child was handed over to me. When the child was handed over to me, she cried and the handing-over photo was taken. The Members, when they handed over the child, they said “All the Best” to me. At that time, I never realised the actual meaning of their good wishes.

Then I started to work on
1. Paper advertisement
2. Petition filing
3. Receiving legally-free for Adoption Certificate
4. Preparing Child Study Report
5. Worked on Medical Examination Report
6. Uploading of all documents in CARA
7. Coordinating with the reserved PAPS
8. Coordinating with the Committee for Adoption Committee Meeting

In each and every process I learnt how to do the best for the child by completing it on time with the guidance of my Coordinator. On the day when the Adoption Committee Meeting was held, the child was one month old. In due course, the Committee Members decided to place the child in adoption and the child was handed over to the parents and the handing-over photo was taken. At that time the child smiled at the parents! That moment I realised the actual meaning of the words “All the Best” which was uttered to me by the Child Welfare Committee Members. I had been the instrument for the child to go into a happy family and find  a good home. From that day onwards, I focused more on this work and I love to do what I do – to secure a safe home for abandoned babies.