A school is built
In partnership with the Little Brothers of the Incarnation in Haiti, a two-room school, l'École Tous Saints, opened its doors last April in Pandiassou, Haiti, in the Central Plateau Department, one of the poorest parts of the country. Approximately 160 students from grades 1 through 4 attend (80 each morning from 7 a.m. to noon and the rest in the afternoon from 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.). Meanwhile, back at All Saints in Toronto, students are busy filling backpacks with school supplies such as paper, pencils and erasers to send to the new students at l'École Tous Saints.
Today, everyone in the All Saints school community – students, parents and teachers – knows how to make a difference in our world. We're doing it little by little, one person at a time.
A thread of an idea
Founded in 1995, the Free the Children organization has grown into an international network of kids in more than 20 countries committed to helping other children.
Craig Kielburger first had the idea of building schools in underprivileged countries when he went to India six years ago. "Kids were marching through the streets chanting, ‘We want an education,' protesting against the rulers and putting their lives at risk," says Craig. "In a small way, here was an opportunity to try to break the cycle of illiteracy and poverty."
To date, the organization has built more than 400 schools through partnering, providing a primary education to more than 10,000 children in developing countries, and many more are in the planning stages. "Elementary schools are a great place to start," says Craig. "Kids in grades 6, 7 and 8 don't have all the answers, but they have a lot to share: time, energy, enthusiasm and a passion to get involved."
After a sister school is built, the supporting school often stays involved, sending backpacks filled with school supplies for the kids. Sometimes the students correspond and exchange artwork. "It lets kids see beyond the walls of the classroom," says Craig.
Last year, after Craig appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," there was a ground swell of support from kids who watched the show. "The day after the show aired, we received 5,000 e-mails from kids, all with the same message: ‘I want to help,'" says John Gaither, a former school principal and coordinator of the Building Schools program for Free the Children in Toronto.
As coordinator, Gaither analyses the school-building project proposals that come in from all over the world. Free the Children has accepted proposals to build primary schools in Chiapas, Mexico; Guatemala; the Dominican Republic; and Khartoum, Sudan. It is currently looking at other proposals in rural areas of Africa, Latin America and Asia. "I think it's the ultimate irony after leading children for so many years that I'm learning so much from them now," says Gaither.
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