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Street children at the Maikovska state centre in Kiev await the end of their afternoon nap, 2002. The ill-equipped centre was set up to aid homeless children in making the transition from the streets to society but for many children the centre is a temporary and unwanted respite from Kiev's city streets. Many children on the street fear the centre, as tales of abuse from the poorly trained and underpaid staff are widespread. For many former communist countries, the painful transition to a free market economy is evident in the escalating number of homeless children. In Ukraine, a staggering 10% of the population consists of abandoned children. Many of these 800,000 children face abuse by the system, the mafia and each other. (Photo by Kurt Vinion /Getty Images)
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