Friends of the Children of Orissa

India is one of the poorest countries in the world, in terms of its population of desperately poor people, and Orissa is its poorest state.

Friends of the Children of Orissa is a UK-based charity that supports a school for 350 orphaned and abandoned girls near Bhubaneswar, the state capital. We also have a team on the local railway station to rescue children who live on the trains and the platforms; last year we reunited more than 300 of them with their families, often hundreds or thousands of miles away.

It¹s very cost-effective giving, and it's gift-aided: £180 pays the full cost for one girl for a year ­ schooling, food, health and all ­ or £30 covers the cost of rescuing a child, finding his home and ensuring that he is happily returned.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

Look at www.orissa.org.uk for details of how you can help.