“The change starts within each one of us, and ends only when all children are free to be children.”
Craig Kielburger
Craig Kielburger is a Canadian activist for the rights of children who started fighting for children’s rights when he was only twelve.
Craig heard about a Pakistani child called Iqbal Masih who worked in a carpet factory since the age of four, and was murdered at age 12 after he escaped from slavery. Iqbal’s story inspired the twelve-year-old Craig along with his school classmates to create the Free the Children organization in 1995.
Craig and his friends sent several letters to political leaders for children’s rights. For example, the organization sent a letter and a petition with 20 thousand names to the government of India to free a children’s rights activist from prison. Free the Children has implemented various projects around the world including the creation of more than 100 schools and rehabilitation centers for enslaved children around the world.
He has also traveled to South Asia in 1996 and organized various campaigns, speeches, and press conferences calling the end of child labor.
Currently, Free the Children, known as WE Charity, implements various projects in the fields of education, health, and food in different parts of the world. Craig believes children’s rights can be achieved through education. He has received more than 20 national and international awards for his steady efforts for children’s rights.
Craig was born in 1982 in Ontario, Canada and completed his degree in Peace and Conflict Studies at University of Toronto. He then completed his MBA at York University and Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University as the youngest ever graduate.