Blip

About this episode

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. BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, 6 August 2009 Every day, Turganaly Kenjebaev stands on a bridge beside a busy main road, hoping that someone will stop by and offer him a job for the day. If hes lucky, hell earn $4.Of Kyrgyzstans 5.3 million people, an estimated that half-million are working outside the country. The money that such workers send home has been a mainstay of the countrys economy since the days of the Soviet Union.The amounts are beginning to decrease, and we expect an even greater decline next year," said UNICEF Representative in Kyrgyzstan Timothy Schaffter. "This will have a very significant effect on families, many of whom live in the poorer areas. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) states that all children have the right to nutritious food.In the spirit of the CRC, UNICEF is working with the Kyrgyz Government to enact legislation that will help to address the nutritional concerns of parents like Mr. Kenjebaev. Later this year, new laws will mandate that all bread flour sold in Kyrgyzstan must be fortified with iron, vitamins and other essential micro-nutrients, which will contribute to the healthy development of childrens minds and bodies.As UNICEFs Mr. Schaffter noted: Due to the rising costs of food, people are eating more bread, and fortunately now this bread will be fortified with these important micro-nutrients.To read the full story, visit http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/kyrgyzstan_50688.html

• Release Date

  Aug 10, 2009

• Runtime

  03:06