With you by our side we’ve been able to reach and protect thousands of vulnerable young people in Tanzania, India and the UK.
These are just some of their stories...
With her father gone, 11-year-old Saida* was often left alone to look after the home and her younger siblings while her mother worked long hours. There was never enough to eat and, when her mother arrived home, Saida was often scolded for not completing her chores.
So, feeling overwhelmed, neglected and hungry, Saida headed to the streets.
But, alone on the streets in Tanzania’s largest city, Dar es Salaam, Saida was even more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
Darcy was 14 when she ran away from home.
As the arguments turned to fights and tensions over money escalated, she felt scared and as though she was part of the problem. She boarded a train and ended up lost, alone and far from home on a train station platform with no money and nowhere to go.
Thankfully, a member of the public noticed Darcy and reported her to rail staff.
Eight-year-old Keshav enjoys school, where his favourite lesson is Hindi. "I love listening to the poems the teacher recites," he says.
But, until recently, Keshav was not attending school.
Instead, with his father earning only a very basic wage, Keshav spent long days collecting rubbish to supplement his family’s income. Like so many of the families we work with, the time and energy it took to make ends meet left little space for education.
Shufaa was abused by her stepmother and ran away to the streets, struggling to survive. Eventually she was spotted and reported to a welfare officer.
Meet Shufaa
This inspiring 21-year-old went from hopeless to hopeful thanks to the skills and support she received through our Youth Association programme.
Read her story >
We met Jamie when he was 15, and facing challenges at home and school. He was referred to us after being attacked and involved in drug dealing.
Read his story >
Our teams first started working with Zoe when she was 14, after officers found her sitting at the side of the railway tracks threatening to end her life.
Read her story >
Sarika ran away from her auntie and uncle's house when they refused to let her return home to her parents, putting herself in a dangerous situation.
Meet Sarika
Denis was bullied by his stepmother so much he decided he was better off living on the streets, facing a brutal existence full of violence and trauma.
Read his story >
Kanoni was only nine years old when she found herself living on the street. Her only means of survival became sex work - and the violence that went with it.
Read her story >
Arshad, aged nine, and Sahil, aged six, were playing in the street but soon became lost and alone at a station in India.
Meet Arshad and Sahil
Ade was just 11 when British Transport Police found him alone on a train. He was in extreme danger and didn't understand the risks he was taking.
Read his story >(Names and identities have been changed and models are used to protect children’s privacy)
