It is estimated that nearly 170 million, or about 40 percent of India’s children, are vulnerable to or living in difficult circumstances. The neglect of child protection issues leads to a serious violation of children’s rights, exposing them to abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

Action Alert Society, in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Uttar Pradesh, under the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS), is operating an Open Shelter Home to support children in need of care and protection. The open shelter program provides comprehensive services to vulnerable groups such as beggars, street and working children, rag pickers, small vendors, street performers, orphaned or deserted children, trafficked and runaway children, children of migrant families, and others living in high-risk situations—particularly in and around Sonauli, Maharajganj (Indo–Nepal Border), where exposure to threats and exploitation is high.

The shelter functions as a full-fledged residential facility, offering food, accommodation, education, sports, and behavioral development activities through diverse methods. Implemented under the ICPS framework of the Government of India and the Government of Uttar Pradesh, the project aims to rescue and protect children from vulnerable life conditions, provide them with a safe and nurturing environment, and ultimately reintegrate them into families, alternative care systems, and the community.