23,099 - that's how many children we have already been able to give access to medical care this year. That's a nice figure to be able to present to you today on International Children's Day. This was officially introduced in 1993 at the United Nations World Conference on Human Rights to draw attention to the observance of children's rights - the most important of which is the right to health.

However, children's rights also include the right to education, equal treatment, parental care, leisure, protection and non-violent upbringing. Poverty is still the main reason why children's rights are violated worldwide. Poverty prevents access to food, drinking water, education and medical care; minors and minorities are disproportionately affected: Millions of girls and boys around the world have no opportunity to attend school. They suffer from flight and displacement or child labor that is hazardous to their health. Unfortunately, this exploitation has increased in many countries in recent years.

With our projects in three of the poorest countries in the world, we are trying to give some of the children the right to health. Our Street Doctors in La Paz, Bolivia, visit the city's favelas to treat sick children, our Irrawaddy River Doctors in Myanmar Our street doctors travel to the most remote villages to help the young patients there, and with various programs in Tanzania we are combating malnutrition among young children in the rural region of Lindi.

We are happy about every single child that we can give a better future and every child's smile convinces us that we are doing the right thing.