Free The Children
Free The Children was co
founded by internationally renowned child activists Craig and Marc Kielburger. The inspiration for this noble cause came in 1955 when 12
year-old Craig Kielburger gathered 11 school friends to begin fighting
child labour. Today, Free The Children is the world's largest network of
children helping children through education, with more than one million
young people involved in our programs in 45 countries.
In April 1995, looking
for the comics section of his local newspaper, 12-year-old Craig
Kielburger came across an article which forever changed his life. The
piece featured the photo of a boy in a bright red vest, his fist
clenched defiantly in the air. Intrigued, Craig read the story of Iqbal
Masih, a young boy from Pakistan, who was sold into slavery to work in a
carpet factory.
Iqbal worked 12 hours a
day, six days a week, tying tiny knots to make hand-made carpets for
export. Through luck and bravery, he managed to escape from his life of
captivity and began speaking out about children's rights; educating
eager listeners about child labour. Tragically, after reuniting with his
family, Iqbal was shot and killed by those who wished to silence him.
Iqbal lost his life for defending the rights of children.
Before he read Iqbal's story, Craig had never heard of child labour. He
wasn't even certain where Pakistan was, but the differences between his
life and that of Iqbal shocked him. Craig knew that he had to help. He
gathered together a small group of his Grade 7 classmates and Free The
Children was born.
The following year,
in an attempt to focus the world's attention on the epidemic of global
child rights abuses, Craig embarked on an ambitious fact-finding mission
to South Asia. In a press conference held in Delhi, India, Craig
challenged the world to take notice of the stories and voices of child
labourers everywhere. The media buzz that ensued brought the issue of
child labour to the forefront of global debate. Craig's journey, sparked
by Iqbal's heroic tale, proved that young people have the power to make
a difference in the world.
Today, Free The Children is a children's charity unlike any other in the
world. It is an organization funded and driven by the energy of young
leaders and adult supporters. In a cooperative effort, they are changing
the world.
Program Successes:
Free The Children
has a remarkable record of achievement, initiating community-based
development projects around the world and inspiring young people to
develop as socially conscious global citizens. Since 1995, they have:
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Built more than 500 schools-providing education to
more than 50,000 children every day
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Established Youth in Action groups in more than
1,000 schools across the United States and Canada, engaging more than
20,000 young people in total
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Distributed more then 207,500 school and health
kits sent to children in need
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Reached more than 350,000 across North America
through our motivational speaking tours
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Shipped more than $15 million US worth of medical
supplies and built health care centers, impacting the lives of more
than 512,500 people around the world
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Developed an efficient administrative model that
allows 91 cents of every donated dollar to go to programs that
directly benefit children
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Equipped 23,500 women to be economically
self-sufficient
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Improved access to clean water and sanitation for
138,500 people
Awards and Recognition:
Free The Children
has been recognized with the following awards:
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2006 World Children's Prize for the Rights of the
Child, also know as the Children's Nobel Prize
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2006 Human Rights Award from the United
Nations/World Association of Non-Government Organizations (WANGO)
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2007 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship
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World Economic Forum Medal
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State of the World Forum Award
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Roosevelt Freedom Medal
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Staff members have been honoured with Canada's Most
Powerful Women: Top 100, Canada's Top 40 under 40, Canada's Top 20
under 20, as well as the Order of Canada.