A better future for street children

Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world. With extreme poverty and high unemployment in the rural regions, along with an increasing number of natural disasters due to climate change, many families are migrating to the larger cities in the hope of creating a better future there.

Life in the cities is a fight for survival. There are 1.5 million children who come from the most deprived conditions currently living on the streets of Dhaka, Mymensingh and Rajshahi. They try to make a living collecting rubbish, dealing drugs, working in the red light district or with petty crime. According to Caritas Bangladesh, 82% of the city’s street children do not attend school. Founded 50 years ago, Caritas Bangladesh has always supported efforts to help children and young people from precarious regions in Dhaka.

Over the next two years, this project will focus on providing support for the 3,670 children and young people who attend the nine street children centres. This involves protecting them against exploitation and abuse, providing medical care and educational opportunities. The children are given hot meals and able to use the facilities for showering. An important part of this work is the lobbying and networking with legal aid organisations and political decision-makers to further strengthen the rights of the child and provide better protection.

The Redel Foundation is supporting this project with €50,000.

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