Aakar Project

AAKAR is a long-term, play-based intervention by Let’s Play Organisation, designed for children and adolescents living in Child Care Institutions (CCIs), as well as those transitioning out of institutional care.

AAKAR is not a short-term programme. It is a developmental pathway.

The project responds to the complex realities of institutionalisation, including trauma, limited exposure, disrupted education, and poor social integration, and focuses on building the skills required for a dignified and independent adulthood.

Core Challenges We Address

The project works with children facing overlapping challenges, including:

Poor social and interpersonal skills
Low self-esteem and confidence
Anxiety and emotional dysregulation
Academic gaps and learning delays
Limited exposure to the outside world
Poor physical and mental health

These challenges do not exist in isolation. AAKAR addresses them through an integrated model.

Why AAKAR Was Needed?

Children growing up in CCIs and JJBs often live in highly regulated, closed environments. While these spaces offer protection, they rarely provide adequate opportunities for:

social interaction and communication
emotional expression and regulation
academic continuity
real-world exposure
decision-making and autonomy

As a result, many children leave institutional care with:

low self-confidence and anxiety
underdeveloped interpersonal skills
weak educational foundations
high vulnerability to peer pressure and
addictions
limited awareness of career or life
options

Gender-specific risks are also evident:

boys are more prone to substance use and risky behaviour
girls are often conditioned towards submission, early marriage and reduced agency
AAKAR was created to address these gaps systematically.