_A staggering 100,000 children in Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta), India, are street children, living with no shelter. Add to this the children whose only shelter is plastic sheeting or makeshift shacks in the slums, and the number reaches 250,000.

The slums and streets offer little protection and these children are vulnerable to emotional, physical, mental, economic and sexual abuse – as graphically portrayed in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. The Hope Foundation works inside the slums and on the streets. We offer protection to those without a family, provide education within the communities as well as healthcare to those turned away from state hospitals. We also give young people growing up in the streets and slums employable skills.

Our goal is to give children back their childhoods so they thrive and can graduate to adulthood with a good education, employable skills and a sense of self-worth. In its first 12 years The Hope Foundation has assisted over 100,000 children from the streets and slums of Kolkata. You can read more about us here. Please browse our website to see how you can make a difference too!