The Al Jazeera feature “‘I count their breaths’: A homeless mother protects her children in Delhi,” published on March 22, 2026, tells the poignant story of Abida Begum, a 40-year-old mother of three living on the streets of the Indian capital. The report highlights the extreme vulnerability and resilience of Delhi’s homeless population, which is estimated at 300,000 people, through Abida’s daily struggle for survival. Abida, originally from Assam, has lived on Delhi’s streets since childhood. The narrative is haunted by the tragic loss of two of her older children, who were killed by a speeding car while they slept on the pavement years ago. The title refers to Abida’s sleepless nights spent watching over her remaining three children. She literally “counts their breaths” to ensure they are safe from the traffic, dust, fumes, and the constant threat of abduction or physical harm. Despite the massive number of homeless residents, Delhi’s government shelters have space for only about 0.2 percent of them. Abida chooses the street over crowded shelters to avoid separation from her children and the risk of theft or violence within those facilities. Abida provides for her family by seeking food and money near the Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah (a Sufi shrine). She also navigates a lack of privacy, using concrete walls beneath flyovers to change her children’s clothes or breastfeed. Abida receives no support from the children’s father, who is described as being intermittently present and often abusive, forcing her to shield the children from his violence in addition to the dangers of the street. 

Let’s Pray:

O God, faithful and compassionate Father, the husband of the widows. We cry out to You, ABBA, bringing before You Abida and the 300,000 souls living on the streets of Delhi today. You are the God who sees Hagar in the wilderness and the widow at the gate, O LORD, look upon them with Your grace and mercy. We pray for Abida’s children—Soni, Hamir, and their siblings. Protect them from speeding vehicles, illness, and the predators that haunt the night. Let them grow up in the knowledge that they are precious and seen and loved by You. Grant Abida supernatural endurance. Take her and her family away from the street and turn their lives around by blessing them so that they will no longer live in poverty, O LORD. Remember this family, for good, and show mercy and be compassionate unto them, don’t leave them in hunger. Be their shield against violence and provider when food is scarce, as it is not in Your desire that anyone perish in poverty or sin. Give her the “small space where she can sleep without fear” that she so deeply desires. Stir the hearts of city leaders to move beyond statistics and provide dignified, safe housing. Equip the local church and organizations in Delhi to be hands of practical help, providing blankets, medicine, and hope to those who have no roof but the sky. Abba Father, let there be a new dawn to those who must count breaths to stay safe. O God, remember the needy and do not forget the poor. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Amen.

Are you interested in continuing to intercede? You can read more about 70 Children Buried in the Search for the World’s Coltan in DR Congo in our latest post.

Read the news here

Report date: March 24, 2026

Country: New Delhi, India

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