At present, about 1 million of the country’s children are street children. These children live in deplorable conditions in squalid slums and/or makeshift shelters, and are prone to be abused and exploited. Since January 2017, APON Foundation has been operating a shelter titled “Thikana Shelter” for street connected children in Dhaka city. The goal of the project is rescue destitute street children from their existing precarious environment and reintegrate them in a safe and secure environment towards achieving the collective goal of “Street Children Free Bangladesh”. The main activities of the project are: rescuing children from the streets and bus/train stations of Dhaka, re-integrating them with families, referral to permanent home for long term services etc. The shelter is funded by Muslim Charity- UK.

Thikana Shelter is an address to address less street children in Dhaka working to resettle the street children with their families and other NGOs for their better up-bringing. From January 2017 to December 2020, we have rescued about 1000 children from vulnerable street situation. Among them we have reunited 367 children with their families including 30 girls. Many of 76 children were referred to different permanent shelter homes for their better future.