City of Bishkek supports outdoor campaign on inclusion of children with disability

BISHKEK, 1 March, 2018 – Bishkek Mayor’s office promotes inclusion of children with disabilities by supporting a public campaign “Open the door to the child!”. Initiated by UNICEF Kyrgyzstan, this initiative targets the public at large to raise awareness on the challenges faced by children with disabilities and protect their rights.

Over one hundred bus stops and billboards throughout the city of Bishkek display banners with children with disabilities at schools on the streets with their parents and call to action. Moreover, parents in each municipal kindergarten receive educational materials in Russian and Kyrgyz languages helping to engage young children in discussion on how to communicate and play with children, including children with disabilities.

In Kyrgyzstan, there are more than 2 million children, including 29,000 children with disabilities. They are one of the most vulnerable categories, facing stigma and exclusion every day. Fearing discrimination, children often stay at home, have limited access to education and health services, and do not have an opportunity to become full members of society, which limits their capacity for development.

“We are grateful to the Bishkek city administration for many years of fruitful cooperation with UNICEF in the interests of children. We hope that this new joint initiative will encourage more residents of Bishkek to open their hearts and minds to children with disabilities, and other local authorities will follow this example,” said Munir Mammadzade, Deputy Representative of UNICEF Kyrgyzstan.