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If the whole world was listening: the International Day for Street Children

Childhood offers little comfort to the 100 million children around the world who live and work on the streets.

For them, every day is about survival. About making enough money to buy something to eat. About finding a safe place to sleep. About avoiding the ever-present danger of violence and abuse.

They’re some of the most vulnerable children in the world. And for many, their stories never get heard.

If the whole world was listening

A child stands outside her makeshift home in New Delhi, India.
A child stands outside her makeshift home in New Delhi, India.

We believe every child has the right to fulfil their potential. That’s why this month, on 12 April, Save the Children and our partner Aviva are supporting the International Day for Street Children.

To mark the day, hundreds of events and activities will be held around the world to ask these vulnerable children what they would say if they knew the whole world was listening to them.

And we’re asking our supporters to lend their voices, too, by sending a simple message on Twitter and Facebook using #TweetForTheStreet.

The Street to School initiative

Our partnership with Aviva, which launched in 2009, is just one of the ways we’re helping the world’s street children enjoy a better childhood.

Through their flagship community project, the Street to School initiative, we’ve funded 19 drop-in centres and four mobile learning centres in Delhi and Kolkata, helping young children into mainstream school and supporting older children to develop new skills through tailored, vocational training courses.

In five years, the programme has already helped more than 6,000 children and young people get off the streets and back into education – giving them the chance of a brighter future.

Find out more on the International Day for Street Children website.

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