For these innocent children, the streets are their only home. They spend their days scavenging landfills and wandering train stations or the main roads of major cities. Their only source of survival is begging or selling small gadgets or toys under the hot sun and in crowded markets. Every day, their only goal is to earn just enough money to eat one meal before making their bed on the cold, dirty sidewalk or underneath a bench in a bus station. The police, the ones that should be offering the protection they crave, often beat and harass them in the middle of the night.
Each day, they become more vulnerable as they fall prey to the reality of life on the streets – abuse, trafficking, addiction.
Some do have families living with them on the streets. However, these families are extremely dysfunctional. Parents often force their children to work for slave like wages to fuel their drug or alcohol addictions. Street kids witness and experience the unthinkable, stealing away their young innocence.
The cycle of not just poverty, but addiction, abuse, and illiteracy, will continue for these 11 million, unless someone, like you, steps in to give them the gift of hope. The opportunity to leave the streets and experience a home, education, and most importantly, love. By supporting the work of Project I Am International, a child can leave their horrendous life on the streets. They won’t have to spend another day wondering if they will have food to eat or sleep safely that night.