“The most important thing in life is to see through the eyes of a child”
Albert Eistein


Seeing through the eyes of a child is a profound thought that takes on many meanings to Cesvi: first of all, the endorsement of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child (hereinafter CRC) and of his principles that are at the basis of Cesvi policy about children and young people.
This is the cultural background of intents and actions – integrated by our Mission – that Cesvi wants to share with its partners in the field and to promote outside the organization.

According to Cesvi, the acknowledgement of children and young people as holders of civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights is of great importance.
CRC is the most ratified UN convention in the world and Cesvi recognises its strong cultural impact on civil societies of different countries worldwide, but, at the same time, it is aware of the lack of promotion and realization of children’s rights in many countries from the North to the South of the world.
It is Cesvi essential ethical principle to denounce grave violations of children’s rights and to support children and young people who are victims of intolerable exploitation, wars, poverty, natural disasters and abuses leading to physical and psychological damage.

Protection and promotion of the rights of children and young people are cross principles to all Millennium Development Goals still far from achievement while 2015 deadline is getting closer!
One example: according to the UNICEF report Progress for Children dedicated to the protection rights (September 2009), in Eastern and Southern Africa the estimated number of children under 18, who lost one or both parents for various reasons, has increased from 21.1 million in 2001 to 24.9 in 2007.

Seeing through the eyes of a child means to work with Cesvi partners for the realization of humanitarian projects in the field that promote interaction among fundamental CRC principles:

• Ensure survival: starting from the reduction of child mortality under 5 years and the general improvement of health and life conditions.
• Guarantee protection: through denunciations and prevention of abuses, exploitation and mistreatments.
• Promote development: guaranteeing education and learning rights even in emergency situations.
• Support participation: listening to young people’s opinions and favouring witting participation to their choices.