Every Journey Matters

India’s railway stations and bus terminals are some of the most common transit points used when children go missing, run away, or are trafficked. Every day, vulnerable children arrive at these locations alone scared, disoriented, and at serious risk of exploitation.

But there is hope because of you. When you donate to protect children, you become part of a vital network working to identify, protect, and reintegrate these children in need. With targeted intervention at railway stations and bus terminals, Railway Children India (RCI) ensures that no child slips through the cracks.

Why Railway Stations and Bus Terminals?

Traffickers often exploit the constant foot traffic, anonymity, and access to transportation at these hubs. Furthermore, many of the children we protect are driven by:

  • The dream of seeing big cities
  • The need to find work
  • Being neglected at home or dropping out of school

Across our work at transport terminals between 2024-25, we reached and protected 1,898 children—1,423 boys and 475 girls. Most of them were in the 13–18 age group, followed by younger children aged 7–12.

Intervention is a race against time. Our frontline workers face many challenges, from scanning crowded platforms to gaining a frightened child’s trust. But your support makes every intervention possible.

The Mission to Protect: What Your Donation Enables

Your donation empowers trained outreach workers to identify children in distress, intervene immediately, and bring them to safety.

  • 64% of all children were identified and protected directly by our outreach workers who vigilantly scan platforms, waiting areas, and bus bays.
  • Another 36% of interventions came through trained stakeholders like the Railway Police Force (RPF), Government Railway Police Force (GRPF), coolies, and station staff—thanks to our years of capacity-building and awareness sessions.

Our teams coordinate closely with police, railway staff, and child welfare officials to conduct swift and safe rescues, ensuring no child is left behind.

The Reintegration Journey

Intervention is just the beginning. The real journey is first about reuniting children with family, ensuring they’re going to school, and learning new skills. Here’s how your donation contributes:

Short-Term Support:

  • Clean clothes, food, and a safe place to sleep
  • Immediate medical care and emotional first aid
  • Legal production before the Child Welfare Committee

Long-Term Reintegration:

  • 93% (1,765 children) have been reunited with their families
  • 212 children were enrolled in school
  • 304 children have been linked to vocational training and government schemes.

This holistic care ensures that children don’t just survive—they thrive.

Your Impact: Where Donations Go

Your contribution fuels every step of our mission:

  • Rescue Kits with essentials like food, water, and hygiene items
  • Salaries and training for outreach workers and counsellors
  • Child Care Institutes and Short-Term Care Homes for protected children
  • Family tracing efforts and follow-up visits
  • Education materials and life skills training

Transparency and impact are core to our work. Each rupee is accounted for, and every success story reflects your support.

Real Stories from Railway Platforms and Terminals

Chance Encounter at the Child Help Desk Changes Two Lives

Anuj (15) and Suresh (17) arrived at Ghaziabad railway station after fleeing a sugarcane farm job in Bansi, where they were misled by a mediator promising work. Concerned for their safety, they made their way to the station, unsure of what lay ahead. That’s when an RCI outreach worker at the Child Help Desk spotted them.

They were taken in, fed, and comforted. During counselling, they shared their ordeal. Their families had no idea they had left. The boys were placed in temporary care, presented before the Child Welfare Committee, and within days, reunited with their families.

This rescue was only possible because of timely intervention and your support.

A Sewing Machine That Transformed a Family

Kanika, a 35-year-old mother of three, lives in an urban slum and struggled to support her family on her husband’s modest income. With RCI’s help, her sons were enrolled in school and skill training programs. But Kanika’s transformation began with a sewing machine.

Empowered with a tool for livelihood, she started a small tailoring service. What began with minor repairs turned into a steady income of Rs. 1200–1500/month, giving her family stability and keeping her children in school.

Your donations don’t just change the lives of children, they strengthen entire families, reducing the risk of children dropping out or turning to child labour.

How You Can Help Today

Every day, a child walks into danger. You can be their ticket to safety.

👉 Donate Now – Support one-time or monthly to enable us to reach and protect every child we encounter at a railway station or bus terminal.
👉 Volunteer or Share – Spread awareness and amplify the impact by sharing our stories on social media among your network.

Your action today means one child protected at a transport terminal, one more future reclaimed.