Vanessa, thirty-five, had three children with an abusive husband. She “lost her mind, started doing heroin”, after losing the children, who were taken away and given to her mother. The drugs led to homelessness and prostitution. She grew up on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, but now spends her time in Hunts Point, “trying to survive everyday. Just doing whatever it takes”.

Children play football on March 10, 2022 on a concrete slab in Mukuru Kwa Njenga informal settlements, where structures have been demolished in November 2021 to pave the way for the construction of the Nairobi Expressway. (Photo by Simón Maina/AFP Photo)

Children give “high-fives” as London Marathon runners pass down Deptford’s Evelyn Street, the eight-mile mark of the 26.2 mile course in London, England on Sunday, October 2, 2022. (Photo by Guy Corbishley/Alamy Live News)

Sparkler fireworks are created by Palestinian children in the al-Zaytoun district on the east of Gaza City on March 28, 2023 during Ramadan. The fireworks, which are made with steel wire wool, are part of the celebrations in the Palestinian enclave during the Muslim holy month. (Photo by Ahmad Hasaballah/IMAGESLIVE via ZUMA Press Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Costumed children from the local Shade performance group perform their show during the annual Brixton Burn in Johannesburg, South Africa, 28 August 2021. The annual event is run by members of the “Afrikaburn” community which is a regional event of “Burning Man” in the United States. (Photo by Kim Ludbrook/EPA/EFE)

Two children swim on the flood water after a widespread flash flood at Nalitabari sub district in Sherpur district, Bangladesh, 08 October 2024. According to Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) officials, at least 50,000 people remain stranded in five sub districts in Sherpur despite flood conditions improving. (Photo by EPA/EFE/Stringer)

A man dressed as Father Christmas learns how to use Zoom on a laptop in the grotto at Bamburgh castle in Northumberland, UK on November 3, 2020, it was due to open on November the 21st but due to the new national lockdown he will now be speaking to the children via Zoom on a computer. (Photo by Owen Humphreys/PA Images via Getty Images)

A Palestinian clown wearing a face mask while entertaining children at their home during the lockdown after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Jabalia Refugee Camp in northern Gaza Strip on November 18, 2020. (Photo by Mahmoud Issa/Quds Net News/ZUMA Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)