Call to adopt girl orphaned by pandemic

Coimbatore: The district child protection unit (DCPU) is looking for parents to adopt a 14-year-old girl.

The girl had lost a parent before the pandemic and the other to Covid-19, district child protection officer M Mathiyalagan said. “She is staying in a government-registered shelter in the district because she did not have any relative,” he told TOI.

“As many as 21 children lost both their parents and 544 lost either father or mother to the Covid-19 infection in the district. Unlike other children who had relatives, this girl, a Class IX student, has none. So, we are searching for suitable parents to adopt her,” the official said.

DCPU is planning to conduct counselling sessions for the girl about the adoption process, Mathiyalagan said. “Even though the girl is free to stay in the shelter until she turns 18, she needs a place for foster care after that.”

“The unit had received applications from seven parents willing to adopt children. Most of them showed interest in adopting babies. We check their background thoroughly before proceeding with the adoption process as we need to ensure that the adopted children are given good care,” he added.

The state government has so far provided a financial grant of 5 lakh to 21 children, who lost both the parents and 3 lakh to 544 children, who lost one parent to the pandemic in Coimbatore district. tnn

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