Thank you to all our supporters for helping us through the tough times last year. We could not do our work without your help. We were really worried about the effects of the shortfall in voluntary funds in 2009. So you can just imagine our relief when you responded to our cry for help and enabled us to continue working with children at risk.

2010 is looking set to be another difficult year. We are determined to keep our projects open and to continue working with the thousands of children in Ireland who rely on our help. Once again, we are depending on you, our supporters, to remember us throughout the year. We ask that you give what you can, when you can. Without you we simply cannot continue to reach out to children who need us most.

Siobhan is 6

Siobhan is six years old. She has two younger brothers, Michael aged four and Sean who is two. Siobhan lives with her mother Michelle and her mother’s partner John. Siobhan’s dad died of a drug overdose when she was two.

This is a true story. Names have been changed to protect identities.

Adam is 8

Adam lives with his parents and older brothers in a council house on a sprawling estate. The roads have no names and numbers have been removed from doors in order to confuse the police when they come in search of stolen cars. Crime is high in the area with many of the neighbours serving prison sentences for drug-dealing, weapons possession and theft.

This is a true story. Names have been changed to protect identities.

Jake is 10

When Jake came to Barnardos he had already been stopped three times for joyriding in his estate. His mother was at the end of her tether. He had stopped going to school, was hanging around the roads all day and regularly disappearing until the early hours of the morning. He had a younger brother and sister and his mum was very worried about the influence he was having on them. Jake was ten.

This is a true story. Names have been changed to protect identities.

Michael is 3

Michael has had a pretty tough life by anyone's standards. He has experienced living homeless on the streets, the death of his younger brother, domestic violence, addiction issues and depression in his family. Michael is three.

This is a true story. Names have been changed to protect identities.