Mission Statement from The Hope Foundation:
"The Holistic care and development of severely underprivileged children /persons in India".

The Hope Foundation is a registered Irish charity set up in 1999 to help restore basic human rights to the street children of Calcutta.

Born on the streets, they are denied such needs as food, shelter, healthcare, education, love, safety and support. The streets offer little protection and dangerous predators abuse these vulnerable children emotionally, physically, mentally and sexually. Street children experience the cruelty and inhumanity of mankind on a daily basis. HOPE aims to protect these children from exploitation and danger and give them back their right to a childhood.

The Hope Foundation provides formal and non-formal education, a nutrition programme and health care for the street children. HOPE and its Indian NGO partners' main objective is to continue to remove thousands of children off the streets and improve their quality of life.

The Hope Foundation wants to break the cycle of poverty and free these street children from a life of horror and fear.

Calcutta (Kolkatta) is the capital city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a city that means many things to many people. For some, Calcutta is the city of joy, while for others it is dirty, crowded and noisy. Once the greatest colonial city in the Orient, the city was later reviled as a cauldron of poverty, dirt, and disease. Today, its' population is estimated at 15 million - four times more than originally planned - and the city is not much bigger than Dublin. The city is home to thousands of poor people who come in search of food and shelter and live in slums or on the streets of the city.

The term street children refers to children for whom the street, more than their family, has become their real home. It includes children who might not necessarily be homeless or without families, but who live in situations where there is no protection, supervision, or direction from responsible adults. They are abandoned children who rely completely on the streets for survival, nourishment and protection.

The causes are numerous, and include the following:
Poverty ; Poor and large families ; Unemployment and / or Underemployment ; Low educational attainment of parents/children ; Family conflicts ; Congestion in slum areas ; Poor housing facilities ; Poor law enforcement/exploitation by law enforcers ; Children born on the street.

The Hope Foundation works with the HOPE office in Calcutta (HOPE Kolkata Foundation) and 15 local NGO’s to operate over 50 projects in the areas of:

• Healthcare
• Education
• Shelter
• Nutrition
• Counselling
• Rehabilitation
• Vocational Training
• HIV/AIDS
• Anti-Child Trafficking
• Anti-Child Labour
• Human Rights Advocacy
• Legal Aid
• Emergency Response

HOPE and our partner groups work to restore basic human rights to street children, high-risk young women and their families. As well as working to improve the living conditions, health and future prospects of these children, HOPE also has a focus on anti-child labour and anti-child trafficking activities through education and awareness programmes in affected communities.

Since 2003, HOPE and a number of our partners also operate the Child Watch Project. This project works for the rights and protection of children on the streets by bringing health, education, nutrition and child protection services directly to street dwellers and includes a day and night ambulance patrol and rescue service.

HOPE’s India office:

HOPE KOLKATA FOUNDATION (HKF)
HOPE Homes for Girls, HOPE Home for Boys, Hospital for Street Children, Counselling Unit, Crèche, Preparatory & Coaching Centres, Micro-Credit Centres, Vocational & Computer Training, Mobile Clinics, Educational Sponsorship Programme, Emergency Relief; Child Watch – Drop-In Centres, Open Shelter, De-Addiction & Rehabilitation Centres, Day & Night Ambulance Rounds.

Emergency Relief:
Kolkata Floods (2000)
Gujarat Earthquake (2001)
Asian Tsunami (2004)

www.hopechild.org

HOPE’s Indian partner groups:
All Bengal Women’s Union (ABWU)
Education Sponsorship, Counselling, Observation & Screening, Vocational Training, Dance Therapy; Child Watch – Drop-In Centres, Literacy Centres, Health Clinics.
www.abwu.org

Bhoruka Public Welfare Trust (BPWT)
Hospice & Support Centre for HIV/AIDS affected children; Child Watch – HIV/AIDS Education Education & Awareness.
www.bpwt.org

Halderchak Chetana Welfare Society (HCWS)
Community-based Anti-Child Trafficking Initiative based in the Sunderbans, West Bengal.

Hive India
24-hour Emergency Response Unit, Crèches, Coaching Centres, Counselling, Health Checks, Capacity-Building for Teachers, Education Community Awareness Campaigns; Child Watch – Drop-In Centres, Day & Night Rounds.
www.hiveindia.org

Paschim Banga Krira O Janakalyan Parishad (PBKOJP)
Girls’ Protection Home, Preparatory & Coaching Centres for Street Children & Sex Workers, Crèche, Counselling, Education Sponsorship, Health Checks, Vocational Training Centre, Cricket Coaching Centre; Child Watch – Drop-In Centres, Day & Night Rounds.
www.pbkojp.org

Society for Educational & Environmental Development (SEED)
Girls’ Protection Home, Crèche, Educational Sponsorship, Preparatory & Coaching Centres, Health Clinic, Vocational Training Centre, Formal School, Night Shelters.
www.seedkolkata.org

Society for People’s Awareness & Action (SPAN)
Crèche, Preparatory & Coaching Centres, Health Clinics; Child Watch – Drop-In Centres.

Mahammadbazar Development Society (MBCDS)
Preparatory Centre, Health Clinic & Emergency Health Support based in Kandighi village, Birbhum, West Bengal.

Rehabilitation Centres for Children (RCFC)
Orthopaedic hospital providing Assessment, Surgery, Rehabilitation & Therapy for children with polio or other physical disabilities; Outreach Immunisation, Identification & Awareness Programmes.

Mayurbhanj Joint Citizen Centre (MJCC)
Coaching Centres, Health Checks, Counselling, Capacity-Building for Teachers, Education Community Awareness Campaigns; Child Watch – Drop-In Centres, Day & Night Rounds.

Society for Indian Children’s Welfare (SICW)
Protection Homes for Special Needs Children, Educational Sponsorship, Literacy & Training Programmes.

Sankalpa
Mental Health & Community Services Liaison Programme, Advocacy & Awareness Programme.

Humla
Children’s Home outside Kathmandu (Nepal).

Jayaprakash Institute of Social Change (JIOSC)
Capacity-Building Programme for Children’s Homes, Coaching & Remedial Support.

Human Rights Law Network (HRLN)
Short-stay Home with Support, Legal Aid & Vocational Training for victims of trafficking & other forms of violence against women & children: www.hrln.org