Martin James Foundation (MJF) is honoured to announce a new partnership with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in India. This collaboration comes at a critical time, as the abrupt termination of USAID funding threatens years of progress supporting children.
About Catholic Relief Services India
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) began working in India in 1946. Today, their programming includes emergency response and recovery, health systems strengthening, and the prevention of human trafficking and gender-based violence. In the care reform space, CRS is a key partner in the global Changing the Way We Care (CTWWC) initiative, launched in 2018 to drive lasting change for children in residential care.
In India, CRS works to bring together government, the Church, communities, and families to prevent children from entering institutions and ensure safe reintegration of children into family care. Their strategy focuses on strong gatekeeping mechanisms, an informed and trained workforce, inclusive family strengthening approaches, and improved access to social protection and family-based care.
Context
CRS has been implementing CTWWC in Odisha and Tamil Nadu, in alignment with the Indian government’s efforts to prioritise family-based care. In October 2024, USAID approved a new phase of CTWWC India, enabling CRS to scale up its work on family strengthening in collaboration with local partners. However, the sudden stop work order in January 2025, and eventual termination of funding, brought many key activities to an abrupt halt. As a result, the well-being and future of nearly 2,000 vulnerable children were put at risk. Children receiving case management lost access to vital services. Others who were preparing to transition from residential care into families faced indefinite delays. In communities where prevention efforts had been underway, systems that helped identify and support families in crisis were severely disrupted. The momentum that has been building over many years toward strengthening family-based care suddenly stalled.About the Partnership
Our partnership with CRS India aims to support and sustain the progress of CTWWC India and ensure that essential support for children and families continues during a time of uncertainty. With this interim funding, CRS will continue its work with Church and community structures to identify and assist vulnerable families, helping to prevent unnecessary separation and supporting safe, family-based care.
This work aims to support efforts to improve access to government schemes and welfare support, enabling caregivers to provide safe and stable care for their children. This partnership also reinforces and aligns with the Indian government’s proactive efforts and policies aimed at prioritising and strengthening family-based care for children.
Through this partnership, Martin James Foundation is supporting CRS and its partners to maintain momentum for care reform in Tamil Nadu, ensuring that children remain connected to families and communities, even in the face of significant funding challenges.
A Call to Action
The sudden loss of funding has placed vital work at risk. Catholic Relief Services and their partners have built strong foundations for family-based care, but continued support is needed. We encourage other funders to join us in standing with organisations like CRS who are working to keep children where they belong: with their families and communities. If you would like to learn more or explore how to get involved, we would be happy to connect.
Quotes:
“In moments like this, funders have a responsibility to step in where we can to ensure that vital programmes, especially those with a direct impact on children’s lives, are not left without support. We’re grateful for the opportunity to partner with Catholic Relief Services India during this time, to stand alongside their efforts, and to contribute to sustaining the progress they’ve made. Their deep experience in care reform is something we greatly respect and are grateful to learn from.”
“We are immensely grateful for the timely and generous support from the Martin James Foundation. In a moment of unexpected challenge, their immediate support helped us build on the strong foundations for family-based care without interruption. This vital assistance has been especially crucial for supporting children who were in the midst of transitioning to loving families, ensuring their journey wasn’t disrupted. It allows us to safeguard the progress we’ve made in helping children live safely with their families and communities keeping the interests and aspirations of the children at the centre. We truly appreciate the belief of the Foundation in our work, their understanding of the urgency, and thank them for this partnership which is having profound impact on young lives.”
