Ten children awarded ‘universal dream kids’ for bravery, environment awareness

Ten children from around the globe, including two Chinese, have been selected as the “universal dream kids,” for their bravery, environmental awareness, and their cravings for education.

The selection is part of a global campaign launched by the Xinhua News Agency and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to mark the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the United Nations on Nov. 20, 1989.

The ten children include Maria Luisa Oliveira Eleoy, a 14-year-old girl from Brazil who dreams to be the Rio Samba “Carnival Queen,” Ayesha Halim, a 13-year-old girl from Afghanistan who wants to become a doctor for the sake of the country’s female patients, and 12-year-old Ulija from Russia dedicated to the art of ballet.

Also selected as the dream kids are 13-year-old Chen Jian’an from Indonesia and 17-year-old Heshani Madushika Hewavitharana from Sri Lanka, two survivors of the 2004 Indonesia tsunami, and 14-year-old Mohammed Ahmed, a Somalian refugee now living in Kenya.

They are joined by Jordan Hartman, an 11-year-old boy from Australia who takes a keen interest in environmental protection, and Karmo, a 12-year-old girl living in the Chatila refugee camp in Lebanon whose biggest dream is to return to school after she dropped out for economic reasons.

Two Chinese children were also among the list of ten — Liu Danyang, an 11-year-old deaf boy who is also an award-winning painter of environment-themed works, and He Siqi, a 14-year-old girl of Naxi ethnic group in Yunnan Province who devotes her leisure time to publicizing the traditional culture of her people.

According to organizers of the “universal dream kids” selection, the ten children were selected on the basis of their unique experiences and recommendations from local child-related organizations.

Xinhua