The international charity Free the Children began with the efforts of one boy. While reading the “Toronto Star” newspaper one morning in 1995, Craig Kielburger was struck by an article about the plight of a 12-year-old Pakistani factory worker. Wanting to do something, Kielburger rallied his seventh-grade classmates to the cause of abolishing child labor and exploitation through Free the Children. Wanting to hear child laborers’ stories firsthand, he raided his savings and performed odd jobs to earn enough for a plane ticket. A 25-year-old family friend from Bangladesh chaperoned Kielburger as he met with children from labor camps and slums throughout Bangladesh, India, Thailand, Nepal, and Pakistan. They also arranged meetings with human rights groups of those countries. During the trip, Kielburger was unable to secure a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, who was in Southeast Asia for a trade delegation. However, the Canadian reporters following Chrétien took an interest in Kielburger’s efforts. When he returned home, Free the Children had gained national attention.
Today, Free the Children still relies on youth. In classrooms and churches across North America, young people raise funds for its Adopt a Village developmental program, which builds schools and removes barriers to education in 45 countries. About Amy Kenton: As an Assistant Principal in the Montauk Public School District of New York, Amy Kenton started a chapter of Free the Children.
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AuthorApart from her EdD, Amy Kenton holds Master's degrees in Social Studies Education and School Administration and Supervision from C.W. Post College and an additional Master's degree in Liberal Studies from Columbia University. Archives
July 2014
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