India's street children

The Sunderbans region of West Bengal, comprising of 106 islands, has a scattered rural population living in isolated and impoverished circumstances. Over the past five years Goal has been implementing an integrated health, water, sanitation and education development programme. Operating in 24 villages with a population of over 86,000 Goal also works to improve livelihood security for the poorest people in these communities Photograph: Goal/Goal

Goal supports the establishment of formal and non-formal schools in the slums and red light districts, giving vulnerable children a safe place to go to - and some recreation facilities - to help break their cycle of poverty through education. Photograph: Goal/Goal

West Bengal has 100 brick kilns and approximately 1,500,000 migrant labourers and 50,000 children. Children as young as four work in the kilns in unsuitable and exploitative conditions Photograph: Alan Rowlette/Goal

Goal has been supporting relief, rehabilitation and development programmes in India since 1977 providing a range of essential services including water and sanitation, healthcare and education for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable children Photograph: Goal/Goal

Education is a way out of poverty for millions of children around the world Photograph: Alan Rowlette/Goal

Goal partner Tomorrow's Foundation implements a development project supporting adolescents who are living in the red light areas of Kolkata. The programme provides training courses and job placements Photograph: Goal/Goal

India still has the world’s largest number of poor people in a single country. Of its over 1 billion inhabitants, an estimated 350-400 million are living below the poverty line and 75% of them are living in rural areas. It is estimated that almost 46% of Indian children under the age of 3, suffer from malnutrition. Kolkata is home to somewhere in the region of 300,000 children who are living on the streets Photograph: Goal/Goal

Goal supports local NGO Sanchar who have been working since 1988 with people in 20 villages outside Kolkata. They use a community-based approach to help people with disabilities and their families to enable them to develop their livelihoods and to integrate into society Photograph: Goal/Goal

Goal partner Karma Kutir implements a vocational training project providing girls living in slums and nearby villages with future employment opportunities. Skills provided include embroidery, sewing and craft development and also business opportunities for the sale and marketing of goods made Photograph: Goal/Goal

Goal supports a child protection and trauma counselling programme for children who have suffered physical or sexual abuse. It works to empower children to protect themselves against abuse and exploitation Photograph: Goal/Goal

Goal is targeting 300 schools in slum areas of Kolkata - providing them with clean water and sanitation services which greatly improves the conditions for over 120,000 school children Photograph: Goal/Goal