Night after night street children are picked up in Kathmandu. In

many cases they have run away from homes in far-reaching villages. Some were chased out by their employers, afraid to employ children. They dig in litter for salvageable items, beg, steal, or try to find any kind of work in order to earn a few rupees. None of them has ever attended a school. In Bal Kendra they find a place to sleep, have the possibility to bathe and receive a warm meal. Bal Kendra has offered these children a stable point of reference since 1993. CARE & FAIR has sponsored this project since 1996. Today, approximately

80 children between the ages of two and eight attend

the day care center. They predominantly come from indigent

carpet-knotting families. Since the beginning of 2000, medical

practitioners from CARE & FAIR-Health Projects have given these children regular health check-ups.