Stories of transformational change

“I feel empowered economically and with a lot of financial freedom, my self-esteem and my confidence have gone up.”

“My favourite thing about coming to the Mobile School is learning and playing with the different panels with my friends.”

“Birth registration is necessary for us - we must make it so that we can study and make our future!”

“I felt so alone - I had no one to share my problems with”

“It was difficult for many years without my identity documents. I didn't understand why I didn't have my birth certificate.”

“You can change your life despite your circumstances. You just need to have a purpose and be committed to it.”

“I want to be a police officer when I grow up”

“If I were the President, I would like to give birth registration to all street children and give them free education.”

“I want to become a good teacher.”

“Before the project I didn’t know there was a problem with me. I had stayed for so long on the streets - that was the only life I knew. I believed that was my fate, I guess.”

“I am 13 and live on the streets of Nairobi. I came onto the streets in 2015 when my parents’ fighting became too much.”

“I don’t go to school – I’ve never been to school. I want to go for some vocational skills training and take a course in motor vehicle mechanics because I love it!”

“I’m lucky – I’ve been coming to the project for so long that I don’t remember how different life was before.”

“Street children are not treated with dignity or respect.”

“In my community, there are lots of thieves around and they get angry and hurt you when you don’t have anything of value to give them.”

“Period education is something we really need to discuss with every girl, to break the silence.”

“I like planting seeds and watching them grow. It’s amazing how something so small can turn into a big plant.”

“With my parents working and out a lot, when I’m at the house, I’m alone most of the time. I cook my own food, like rice, eggs and sausages.”

“I know there will be a lot of challenges, but I’m going to support my child with everything I have.”

“We build fires with the textbooks that other people use to study, to keep warm.”

“I go to school and I love it because I can learn more things that I already know.”

“I started ragpicking when my dad became too ill to work.”

“Life was different before - I used to spend my days working with my older brothers.”

“I go around with my mother all day. At the savings group, I love playing with toys and drawing.”

“When we arrived from our village, we had nowhere to live so we had to live on the railway tracks.”

“I lost my ID card when I was getting on the bus, but I didn't think anything of it until I had my daughter.”

“For as long as I can remember, all my family have always all gone out to work, leaving me at home on my own. I used to get so lonely.”

“To be successful we need education, and we need a birth certificate for identity.”

“Being a child in my community is good, although I did used to have more fun before. I had more friends but now many of them have left or have died.”

“I came to Delhi with my mother earlier this year. I make a living by helping my mother with the household work where she works as a cleaner.”

“I faced difficulties in feeding my children, keeping them in school, paying our rent – at one point, we were all sleeping out on the streets.”

“In my community, there are many different tribes who speak different languages. Most of the people there scavenge at the dumping site to earn a living.”

“After attending my classes and Puerta de Esperanza, I help my grandmother prepare the the parts she will sell in the afternoon.”

“I don’t have admission to school yet because of the unavailability of official documents and my Aadhar (ID) card.”

“You’ve helped us, you’ve supported us, and even though we’re still going through the process, you don’t give up on the people who need help.”

“When we moved from Nepal to India, we didn’t think about not having the right documents. But when we got here, we couldn’t enrol in school.”

“My parents didn’t get my birth certificate for me when I was little – I think just because they didn’t want to.”

“Once, my mother pushed me from the stairs of a public waterspout, and I was badly hurt. I know she was probably just drunk though.”

“Not having my birth certificate made me feel like a refugee in my own country.”

“I lived in fear with my siblings… we were afraid that we would be separated from our mother.”

“School is very important because it will help me to excel in life.”

“We were hopeless since life was difficult and we had no one to turn to for assistance. We felt nobody cared.”

“The cold of the streets was the worst thing – it makes you feel like all your insides are frozen.”

“The biggest challenge on the street is surviving day to day.”

“Before I came to the project, I would sometimes have light snacks or remain hungry at times.”

“My favourite food is chole puri, rajma and roti – I’d never had them before and I love the taste.”

“I didn’t have a birth certificate because my mum didn't pursue the case when I was little.”

“Whenever I roam around with my friends, we often face eve teasing issues from strange men.”

“Studying is the most important thing for me at the moment.”

“The market is not a safe place for children most of the time - many violent incidents have happened over the years I’d been here.”

“One of my greatest achievements so far has been getting into football.”

“I used to feel that my future would be in darkness.”

“I used to roam around the streets and trouble my mother a lot - I was unable to think or feel about anything.”

“The football field is my favourite place – it’s where I feel free.”

“The streets are home now because this is where we live, it’s where I was pregnant with my children and where they spend their time now.”

“The most important thing is that children have space to learn and play. We should always have the chance to be creative and use our skills.”

“I was recruited by the gang in my neighbourhood – they used to threaten me with things if I didn’t obey.”

“When I didn’t go to school, I was bored and tired at home on my own.”

“Due to the hot weather, many times food often goes rotten.”

“It’s scary how easy it would be for someone to hurt us when we go out in the street.”

“To survive, I collect plastics and cartons around the estate and in the river – and on the weekends, I wash cars. It's hard work.”

“I am a citizen of Nepal, entitled to receive services from the government for children.”

“Coming from street life to the point where I can earn money myself is a big thing, isn't it?”

“Now I can learn and support my family.”

“I didn't have anywhere else to go but the street.”

“I want to encourage both women and men to help raise awareness on the challenges we face around menstruation and provide the support wherever needed.”

“I want to tell all the young girls that we should use sanitary pads to stay hygienic and have a carefree period.”

“I think a lot about going to school and feel sad because when I see the children of my age going, while I’m working day and night.”

“With street life, even if you want to do good, leave it behind or get a job, you can't find it quick enough which leads you back to the street.”

“I used to feel scared that when I was older, the police would arrest me if I didn't have my birth certificate.”

“I was begging in the streets, and it was hard. I couldn’t see any future.”

“Before I had my birth certificate, life was so difficult. I had some really tricky moments because I was always scared.”

“Now that I’ve got the uniform, I feel happy.”

“I used to feel very lonely because I had no one to share my challenges with. I wanted to do something better than selling drugs but I didn’t know where to start.”

“I felt my life would end on the street.”

“When I lived on the streets, I experienced so many horrible things. Everyone ignored me and no one ever respected me as a person.”

“With our identity document, I now go to school and my parents have stable jobs.”

“Take good care of yourselves and don’t stop using your mask, always wash your hands and take care of your families.”

“Everyone needs to know that using dirty clothes during menstruation can lead to disease and that it is very important to take special care of cleanliness at such times.”

“Buying sanitary towels was so far from reality and a completely impossible thing to do. When I got my period, I was using old clothes instead.”

“I would like to start my studies and be able to go to school knowing that I never have to miss a class again”

“If I could change one thing right now, it would be for coronavirus to go away, to have enough food and money, and to be able to continue my education so I can stand on my own.”

“Mohini has become a warrior of her community. She is praised, loved and appreciated by everyone for her bravery.”

“My life has changed a lot since attending the project. I thought I would never be able to continue my education and that I would have to be on the street my entire life to earn a living.”

“I pay a lot of attention to my studies and now speak with confidence to everyone. I love encouraging the rest of the children to study at the education club — I feel very happy when I help others and when I see children playing and studying instead of working.”

“I’m very happy, after joining the learning centre I understood the importance of study and I have started thinking about my future.”

“With my ID I go to school, I have friends and I want to buy a house for my grandmother and my sisters.”

“Devi was a self-conscious and introverted child but her involvement in sports and various activities has transformed her personality, she has become an extrovert and shows us that she is fearless.”

“I don’t know if we will die of Covid-19, but if conditions keep getting worse, we will starve.”

“Sejun was asked what made him happy, he responded; playing with his friends and said that he really misses them. He also said that he is desperate to go back to school and to the learning centre.”

“I'm alone with my baby so the support has helped me a lot.”

“I miss Kindergarten, playing with my friends”

“During the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, at the beginning of June 2020 El Salvador was hit by a devastating tropical storm.”

“I am so happy my mother is back with me and that we can be together. I love school and want to be a teacher one day!”

“I used to spend most of my time collecting metal coins and sniffing glue down by the river.”

“Sometimes you just need someone to hold your hand and set you on the right path, and that changes everything.”

“Participating in dance classes helps me to relax, forget my problems and leave the pain behind for a little while”

“Education has completely changed Jhalak. Before she was very quiet and not confident with her reading and writing but now, she is one of the best students.”

“Carlos is one of the estimated 670,000 children in El Salvador whose birth was not registered.”

“A devastating fire that had destroyed hundreds of homes in one of the communities where we have been working for the last five years.”

“My children are the most important thing in my life – I don’t know how I would be if something happened to them.”