Free The Children
Free The Children (German " Free the Children ") is an international network of children for children, based in Toronto , Canada.
founding
The organization was founded in 1995 by the then 12-year-old Canadian Craig Kielburger . He had learned about the commitment of the Pakistani boy Iqbal Masih , who was sold to a carpet factory at the age of 4, was able to escape debt bondage , then campaigned for the liberation of other enslaved children and was finally murdered at the age of 12.
The fate of Iqbal inspired Kielburger to do something against the exploitation of children and to found Free The Children for this purpose. At the beginning he led the organization together with 11 school friends. The entire organization with all country sections is run by children and young people, Free The Children has around one million supporters worldwide.
Projects
Today the organization is active in more than 45 countries. The focus is on access to education; According to the company, over 400 schools have been built, in which 35,000 children are given an education. In the health sector, health stations have been built for 500,000 people in 40 countries. 125,000 people were given access to clean drinking water. In addition, the organization helps poor families with the creation of small sources of income so that the family no longer depends on an additional income from the children and the children can go to school instead of to work. So far, 20,000 people have benefited from this.
Awards
In 1997 the organization received the State of the World Freedom Award . In 1998 the organization was awarded the Roosevelt Freedom Medal . In 2002, 2003 and 2004 the organization was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Web links
- Free The Children International (Engl.) ( Memento of 30 July 2012 at the Internet Archive )
- Free The Children Germany
- Free The Children Switzerland