Happy memories build resilience
Cities for Children
We believe that all children deserve what we call the
“Right to a Childhood”
Right to Read
Right to Play
Right to Feel Safe
Our Work
We design programmes that promote learning, play and wellbeing for children in urban poverty.
Advocacy (Mera Haq Hay)
An advocacy project focused on promoting child rights for street children through advocacy with support from the Consortium for Street Children.
Find out more
Partners in Learning (Seekho Sikhao Saathi)
A project launched as a response to pandemic school closures by offering interactive education for street-connected children without digital access.
Find out more
Care Don’t Scare (Maar Nahi Pyar)
A resource pack offering non-violent discipline alternatives for parents, teachers, and caregivers to address children at risk of violence.
Find out more
Happy Hoods (Hansti Basti)
Structured programs for children who live or work on the streets led by volunteers with schools and shelter homes for street connected children.
Find out more
Partners in Learning (Seekho Sikhao Saathi)
A project launched as a response to pandemic school closures by offering interactive education for street-connected children without digital access.
Find out more
Care Don’t Scare (Maar Nahi Pyaar)
A resource pack offering non-violent discipline alternatives for parents, teachers, and caregivers to address children at risk of violence.
Find out more
Happy Hoods (Hansti Basti)
Structured programs for children who live or work on the streets led by volunteers with schools and shelter homes for street connected children.
Find out more
Advocacy (Mera Haq Hay)
An advocacy project focused on promoting child rights for street children through advocacy with support from the Consortium for Street Children.
Find out more
Our Partners
We work with partners who are already doing good,
and help them do better.
Latest News
The courage to be a child
Written by Alex Pagan Programmes Officer UKWhen we walk into our sessions, the first thing we see is children waiting at the
Read More
Reclaiming Voices Through Socioemotional Learning: How Manzil is Empowering Young Girls
Written by Syeda Ansa Gardezi (Senior Programmes Officer & Trainer) at CfC
In many underserved communities, young girls are taught to shrink themselves,
Read More
Bulldozing futures
The Op-ed originally appeared in The News, authored by Communications Officer Arooba.
In Islamabad, a certain language of order is spoken.
Encroachment operations
Read More
Draw and Tell: Voices of Out-of-School Children from Seekho Sikhao Saathi
By Mah-Noor Ghani – Research VolunteerLast year I travelled to Pakistan to conduct fieldwork for my Master’s dissertation in Sociology of Childhood
Read More
Celebrating Strength – Girls Leading Learning
On #MalalaDay, we are honoured to share stories of the heroic girls leading learning in their schools during our recent Seekho Sikhao
Read More
Choosing Community as a Superpower
By Fran Sharman (UK Programme Officer)
“Hiya!”
One small word, which has grown to mean a lot. It was one of the first
Read More
Seekho Sikhao Stories: Making Heroes with Heart
By Amal Surmawala
Click, click, click.
The sound of plastic snapping into place bounced off the walls of the otherwise quiet classroom. A group
Read More
The Power of Connection – SEL as a Journey
The Power of Connection – SEL as a Journey
On World Mental Health Day, our Programme Officer Syeda Ansa reflects on her own
Read More
Girls Leading Learning
Coverage of this event appeared in national dailies, The News and The Nation, on April 4, 2024. In a vibrant showcase event held
Read More
Born in Pakistan
Originally published in Dawn newspaper on November 11, 2023
By Madeeha AnsariAS part of a global research project on forced migration, I was
Read More
CfC-JJT Seekho Sikhao Report 2023
Through the thoughtful and impactful programs we create, Cities for Children caters to the three rights of each child – right to
Read More
Learning, Protection and Play: Temporary Learning Centres for flood-affected children
From October 2022, till March 2023, we supported our partners to set up Temporary Learning Centers in Sindh, Pakistan. Through these two magical spaces,
Read More
Partners in Learning Program – Impact on Girls
Shanzay Ejaz, Communications Intern
The countrywide closure of schools in 2020 as an emergency response to the Covid-19 crisis led to huge disruption
Read More
LAUNCH: CfC and NCRC Policy Brief on Street-Connected Children
We are proud to announce the launch of the policy brief on street-connected children in Pakistan in collaboration with the National Commission
Read More
Choosing the Street
By Founder, Madeeha Ansari. Originally published in Dawn Newspaper on March 22, 2022.
WHY would children, given an option, ever want to stay
Read More
Corporal punishment as culture
Originally posted in Dawn newspaper on January 6, 2022.
by Madeeha Ansari
IN February 2021, a landmark bill to ban corporal punishment in all
Read More
Policy Meets Practice: Discussion Recommendations
by Josh Adetunji, Projects Volunteer
On 3 and 4 August 2020, Cities for Children organised two consultations with civil society members and government
Read More
Policy Meets Practice – Planning Action for Street Children
Cities for Children along with the Parliamentary Special Group on the SDGs and Child Rights organised a multistakeholder consultation on 3rd and
Read More
Change our Story: Understanding and Implementing UNGC 21
On 23 June 2021, Cities for Children facilitated a workshop for civil society organizations in Pakistan entitled “Change Our Story” – Understanding and
Read More
Living on the Margins: Street Children in Pakistan – RSIL podcast series
On 8th May, 2021, Minahil Khan, senior research fellow at the Research Society of International Law sat down with Madeeha Ansari, the
Read More
Changing the story
Originally published in Dawn newspaper on April 25, 2021.
By Madeeha Ansari
IN an interview for April 12, International Day for Street Children, a
Read More
Key Takeaways from the National Parliamentarians Consultation – International Day for Street Children 2021
On 12 April 2021 – International Day for Street Children – Cities for Children along with the Special Parliamentary Group on the
Read More
A case for love
Originally published in Dawn newspaper on February 28, 2021.
by Madeeha Ansari
A VIDEO went viral recently, of a young child being brutally beaten
Read More
Mythbuster: Street Children in Pakistan
By Hajra Khan, Research Intern
On World Children’s Day 2020, we are committed to a future where the #VoicesofYouth are amplified and understood.
Read More
Criminalizing Poverty
Originally published in Dawn newspaper on 4 November 2020.
by Madeeha Ansari
A NEPALESE colleague once shared the impact of a well-intentioned government rehabilitation
Read More
A Case Study of Refugees in Towns – Islamabad, Pakistan
The following research piece entitled Cities for Children: A Case Study of Refugees in Towns – Islamabad, Pakistan, was first published by the
Read More
The role of play – reimagining education
by Zoha Jillani, CfC Volunteer
A core aspect of Cities for Children’s mission to protect the “Right to a Childhood”, is the Right
Read More
Protecting Childhood
This article was first Published in Dawn on July 3rd 2020, Pakistan’s oldest English newspaper.
by Madeeha Ansari, Founder
CHILDHOOD is a precious, fleeting experience.
Read More
COVID-19 Relief Volunteer Guidelines
During the COVID-19 pandemic, families and children in urban poverty were disproportionately affected. Their lives and livelihoods were hugely impacted by lockdown
Read More
Those empty streets
A personal reflection on International Street Children Day in the context of the COVID-19 crisis, by CfC Founder Madeeha Ansari.
Karachi,Pakistan, March
Read More
Comitting to Equality for Street Children
Published by the policy think tank Jinnah Institute on April 12 2019 – International Day for Street Children
April 12 is a day
Read More
Three Decades of the UNCRC and Protecting Childhood
by Malaika Kirkwood, Communications Volunteer
Building Cities for Children
This year we celebrate 3 decades of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of
Read More
Play builds children
by Julia Everett, Development Intern
August 7th 2019 marks national Play Day in the UK. This year’s theme, ‘Play Builds Children’, highlight the
Read More
Investing in Happiness
In Summer 2018, we organised our “Hansti Basti” or “Happy Hoods,” programme in collaboration with Pehli Kiran School System and the Community
Read More
Child Beggars
This article first appeared in Dawn, the oldest English newspaper in Pakistan.
By Madeeha Ansari, Founder
ON Tuesday, Nov 12, the Sindh government imposed a
Read More
Promise for streetchildren
This article first appeared in print as “Street kids’ hope” in Dawn, the oldest English newspaper in Pakistan.
By Madeeha Ansari, Founder
A COUPLE of
Read More
Colour and Joy – PKSS Annual Sports Day 2018
As part of our “Right to Play” strand of work, on 21st April 2018 we supported a special Sports Day event for
Read More
Urban Refugees – Uncounted and Unseen
This article first appeared on the Promising Practices in Refugee Education website.
By Madeeha Ansari
How do refugee children live?
Often, the image that comes
Read More
Giving street children a voice
By Jetske van Dijk
Looking back, 2017 marked a milestone in the world of child rights. The United Nations General Comment No. 21
Read More
Hope as resilience
By Jetske van Dijk
On 9th November 2017, the Cities for Children team attended the Consortium for Street Children (CSC) Annual Research Conference,
Read More
the journey to “real”
Adapted from post on team member’s personal blog, “The Write Thing” and refers to incidents from December 2016.
The pilot phase for CfC has, of course,
Read More
Learning and Behaviour
After our needs assessment, we really had to sift through the themes that we were going to work on with the PKSS
Read More
A first – Starting Psychosocial Support
It’s official. We have quietly launched our pilot psychosocial support programme, after months of research, consultation – and negotiation.
It’s hard to find
Read More