Kamlapur Drop-In Centre
The Kamlapur Drop-In Centre offers a safe and welcoming space for children and youth who live and work on the streets, giving them the opportunity to learn, play, and grow.
The Problem
Poverty is widespread throughout the Bangladesh, and the capital city of Dhaka is home to an estimated 450,000 street children, many of whom are forced into child labour to survive. They lack the basic necessities such as food, clothing, shelter, education, medical care, and the protection offered by parents. These vulnerable circumstances also make them prime targets for human trafficking, including forced labour, sexual exploitation, and other forms of abuse.
Child labour is especially prevalent at the Kamlapur Railway Station, the largest railway station in Bangladesh. The station is used as a living, sleeping, and working place for many of Dhaka’s street children, most of whom were abandoned by their parents or ran away from home. At the station, the children carry baggage for railway passengers, others collect and sell empty plastic bottles for money, and some even turn to pick-pocketing.
The Program
The Kamlapur Drop-In Centre (KDIC) was established in 2022 to care for boys living and working at the railway station. The centre offers basic education, healthcare, meals, and counselling for up to 40 children at a time. Program leaders also conduct awareness-raising sessions in the community, and work to reintegrate children with their families if it is deemed safe for them to return.
However, sometimes reunification isn’t possible. Some children have been orphaned, abandoned, or come from abusive situations that make going home unsafe. Thanks to your support, our partners opened a residential facility in 2024 that now houses up to ten boys at a time. This gives them a sense of safety and stability they have never known, along with the opportunity to pursue formal education, which is typically out of reach for children without a permanent home.
How Your Gift Helps!
Your gift provides vulnerable boys in Dhaka with safe shelter, daily meals, education, medical care, and emotional support. It helps give them a stable environment and a real chance to build a brighter future, free from exploitation and danger.
100% Of Your Donation
will be used to improve the lives of children in Bangladesh, thanks to some generous donors who pay all our overhead.
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About Us
International Needs Canada is a charitable organization with a global network of 34 partner countries. Our approach to development relies on the empowerment of indigenous leaders to bring about change in their local communities. We focus primarily on the empowerment of vulnerable children through education, health and wellness, character development, and skills training.
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International Needs Canada
Toll-free: 1-888-702-9805
Office: 1-905-389-1118
Email: info@internationalneeds.ca
Address: 230-1119 Fennell Ave E.,
Hamilton, ON, Canada, L8T 1S2
Charity Number: #12994 3072 RR0001