Of about 6000 homeless people living in Bucharest, an estimated 1000 are children. Many find warmth and shelter in Bucharest's system of underground canals built for heating, water and sewage pipes.
Romania's vast orphanage system was instituted during the time of Communist-era dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, who made abortions illegal.
During the early days of the post-Communist period, conditions at the orphanages reached an all-time low. All necessities were in short supply, including food and proper care.
Many children ran away when they were old enough to manage on their own in the capital city.
Twenty-five years after the Romanian Revolution, a new generation of homeless, drug-addicted youth have taken to the streets and found shelter underground.
There they live short, tragic lives, sometimes bearing children who more often than not, are taken into state custody like their parents before them
