Every child carries potential—the ability to learn, to lead, to imagine a future different from today.

In Bangladesh, that potential is visible every day in children who work, care for siblings, and find ways to survive against extraordinary odds. But potential alone cannot replace protection.

In Bangladesh’s cities, hundreds of thousands of children live or work on the streets.

An estimated 30.1% of them sleep in public spaces [source: UNICEF] —on sidewalks, in stations and terminals, or in parks and fields—without access to even the most basic amenities.

Back in 2000, a group of educators and human rights activists refused to accept that this was inevitable. They founded the Local Education and Economic Development Organization (LEEDO) with a clear conviction: every child deserves protection, dignity, and the opportunity to learn—especially in the most difficult times. From the beginning, the team worked directly with children living on the streets, creating safe spaces where they could access education, find stability, and experience consistent care.

From those early days, LEEDO has evolved into an organization that creates a nurturing, protective environment—supporting children and young people not only to overcome adversity, but to strengthen their confidence, rebuild trust, and shape brighter futures on their own terms.

When support systems failed, LEEDO stepped in

In early 2020, Bangladesh’s government acted quickly to contain COVID-19. But those efforts left some children behind. Children living on the streets were cut off from the support systems they depended on.

While many organizations paused operations, LEEDO expanded its outreach—delivering food, hygiene kits, and emotional support directly to children on the streets. The team opened emergency shelters to ensure no child was left hungry or exposed.

When the pandemic started, other organizations—even government initiatives—closed off. This is the reality: small organizations like LEEDO are trying to reach children, and we do not have extensive resources.

— Forhad Hossain, LEEDO’s Founder and Executive Director

Today, LEEDO is a lifeline for children facing extreme adversity—offering safe shelter, education, healthcare, counseling, and long-term rehabilitation through programs like Peace Home, Transitional Shelter SETU Bandhan, and mobile schools that reach children where they are.

The power of long-term support

Organizations like LEEDO are rooted in trust. They know the children, the neighborhoods, and the barriers that stand in the way of safety and opportunity. They show up day-after-day walking alongside children as they rebuild their lives.

What strengthens that work is steady, long-term support that allows LEEDO to keep leading in the ways their community needs most, which is why Global Fund for Children (GFC) is proud to stand beside LEEDO—providing long-term funding that they can use where and when it is needed.

Because LEEDO has such sustained backing, its doors stay open when children need them most. Young people who were once surviving alone can return to school. Survivors of abuse can access counselling and safe shelter. Children who were overlooked can begin to imagine something more.