Filipino street kid, 13, wins $100,000 peace prize

Vocabulary
1. prestigious-(adj)-having a high reputation; honored; esteemed
ex. He graduated from a very prestigious University

2. parcels-(n)-an object, article, container, or quantity of something wrapped or packed up; small package; bundle.
ex. The parcel was delivered at his doorstep.

3. destitute-(adj)-without means of subsistence; lacking food, clothing, and shelter; dirt poor
ex. The government has set aside healthcare funds for the destitutes and the homeless.

4. initiator-(n)-a person or thing that initiates or starts something.
ex. The senior students were the initiators of the tree-planting project.

5. icon-(n)-A person or thing regarded as a representative symbol of something
ex. Madonna is already considered as an icon in the music industry.

A young Filipino who lived off a rubbish dump and slept in an open tomb has won a prestigious children's award in the Netherlands for his work to improve the rights of his fellow street kids.

Cris "Kesz" Valdez, aged 13, was handed this year's International Children's Peace Prize at a glittering ceremony in The Hague on Wednesday, where he received a 100,000 euro ($130,000) prize.

Valdez was chosen from three finalists for the work of his "Championing Community Children" charity which raises funds to hand out gift parcels to needy children in Cavite City, about 30 kilometres (18 miles) south of the capital Manila.
"You are wonderful," Nobel Peace laureate Desmond Tutu, who handed over this year's prize, told Valdez at a press conference shortly after the ceremony, held in The Hague's historic Knight's Hall.

"My message to children around the world is not to lose hope" and to remember things like hygiene, said Valdez, who added that the prize would help him get an education and perhaps realise his dream of becoming a doctor.

Through his charity, Valdez has handed out more than 5,000 gifts to destitute children that included everyday articles like flip-flops, toys, sweets and clothes, said the KidsRights Foundation, the prize's initiator.

In all, he has helped some 10,000 children in his area on health, hygiene and children's rights, the foundation added.

Some 246,000 street children are, like Valdez was as a young child, subjected to abuse, violence and child labour in the Philippines, it said.
Asked about the prize money, KidsRights Foundation chairman Marc Dullaert said a committee was now to decide, together with Valdez, to which projects it would be donated.

Archbishop Tutu, the South African peace icon who won the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize is in the Netherlands for a nine-day visit.

Source: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/filipino-street-kid-13-wins-100-000-peace-181545820.html

Questions

1. What do you think of this 13 year old boy's achievement?
2. Are there young boys and girls in your country who are involved in charities?
3. What do you think could be the positive result of this award for the other street children in the Philippines?
4. Do you think this achievement would be an inspiration to other people not only in the Philippines but in other countries as well?
5. What should the Government officials do to help in this charity's goal?