After reading Free The Children by Craig Kielburger, I realized how clear the then 12 year old Kielburger’s vision was, and how maintaining that clarity made helping people really very simple.
- Kielburger’s goal? To continue the work of a freed child-labourer who had been assassinated.
- His mandate? For children to work together to right injustices perpetrated against impoverished children without adults being in charge or interfering.
In pursuit of that vision, he enlisted the help of his schoolmates. They encouraged each other in the assumption that this was possible.
- Education: Kielburger and his team educated themselves, learning all they could about the topic.
And when confronted by people who saw the situation from a more sophisticated perspective they admitted only a temporary defeat. They researched & studied until they were able to return and respond appropriately. This later served Kielburger well in dealing with governmental agencies and other administrative bodies.
- Action: He travelled the world so that he could report the situation accurately from his own knowledge. In his travels he interviewed many of the child labourers, often surprised by their perspectives.
- Respect: He showed respect, even for his opponents, for the impoverished children, government officials and charitable organization administrators. Thus he won the respect of all.
Free the Children is responsible for building more than 650 schools providing daily education 55,000 children.
Margaret Jean 