Research in 2011 estimated that up to 20 million children were living as orphans in India, four per cent of the country's total child population.
Some orphans end up living on the streets of India's major cities - as depicted in the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire - but many live in state-run orphanages.
However, in 2017 Save the Children raised concerns about the poor standards in some state-run homes. Orphaned children are also among the most susceptible to poverty, child labour and child trafficking, studies have shown.
A different approach has been developed by charity SOS Children's Villages, one that tries to combine the benefits of fostering alongside those of residential care.
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