Pleas to adopt 'Covid orphans' illegal, shelter homes last resort: Experts

They need the support of their extended family, say state and NGO welfare workers.

Jaipur: Sohini, 12, and Mohan, 7, lost their father to Covid-19 during India's first wave in 2020. In the second wave in 2021, they lost their mother, also to Covid-19, Sonal Kapoor, founder of Protsahan India Foundation, a Delhi-based non governmental organisation (NGO) working to eradicate child abuse, told IndiaSpend. Sohini and Mohan have grandparents, but they are not well off. Their grandmother, who is in her late fifties, has taken two more jobs as a domestic helper to be able to take care of the children.

Indian social media has been rife with adoption requests as people amplify pleas