Over 250,000 children are forced to exist on the streets of Kolkata (Calcutta). Around five million people live in horrific conditions in slums. They do not have clean water; children are often hungry and diarrhea and skin diseases are common.
To survive, children scavenge in rubbish dumps to find scraps to sell or beg on the streets. Most are not in school and have poor health. Many children are abandoned and are at high risk of abuse, exploitation and child trafficking.
We work with committed people and organizations to change these children’s lives. We fund and support projects in health, nutrition, child protection and education. We also advocate for better services and seek ways to support access to Government programmes.
HOPE believes in sustainable development. We partner with 16 local Indian NGOs and currently fund over 60 projects for street and slum children and their families in: education, health care, child protection, nutrition, drug rehabilitation and vocational training.
As well as these front line projects, HOPE has created innovative programmes to highlight and tackle complex cultural issues, such as child labor and child trafficking.