UNICEF: Alexei Petrushevski, local Kyrgyz hero

In the run-up to the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child a landmark international agreement on the basic human rights of all children UNICEF is featuring a series of stories about progress made and challenges that remain. Here is one of those stories.

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, 24 August 2009 A recent morning for Alexei Petrushevski went something like this: He met a high-ranking city official to get approval of a project ensuring that all of his wards at the Bishkek Centre for Street Children will eventually get birth certificates and other necessary paperwork. Then he rushed off to negotiate the purchase of football jerseys at discounted rates, of course for the centres new childrens soccer team.

A couple more meetings and it was off for a quick working lunch with child rights lawyer Yelena Gavrilova. Later, there might be more meetings and phone calls with adults, sessions with the children at the home, and then community and fundraising events.

Mr. Petrushevski founded the Bishkek Centre for Street Children six years ago and has become a father figure to around 1,000 young people who have since passed through the facility.

For his tireless work, UNICEF has nominated him as one of its Heroes of Childrens Rights in honour of the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of Children (CRC), which is coming up in November.

To read the full story, visit http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/kyrgyzstan_50946.html

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Nonprofits & Activism

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• UNICEF
• Alexei
• Petrushevski
• Kyrgyzstan
• CRC
• Convention
• Rights
• Child

[nurzerde]

Красавчик!

Azamat!

He's da man!

[petermiless]

god bless him!