Craig Kielburger is a writer, activist, columnist, and speaker from Canada. He is also a humanitarian and a proponent of children’s rights. As a teenager, he co-founded the charity ‘Free the Children’ with his brother and some other friends, and he has been the face of various efforts aimed at rescuing children from slavery and labor. At the age of 12, he experienced a life-changing event when he heard on the news about the death of Iqbal Masih, a 12-year-old Pakistani boy who was slain for his views and for the independence and rights of child laborers. Craig was completely shaken by the incident. He was in seventh grade at the time, and he gave a speech in class, prompting many others to volunteer, founding the group ‘Kids Can Free the Children.’ One of their first initiatives was to lobby for the release of Kailash Satyarthi, an imprisoned child labor activist who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. Craig is also the founder of ‘Me to We,’ a social venture that distributes half of its profits to the charity ‘Free the Children.’ Craig also co-authored the book ‘Me to We’ in 2004. He contributes to the ‘Global Voices’ section of numerous newspapers by writing columns.
Childhood and Adolescence
Craig Kielburger was born on December 17, 1982, in the province of Ontario, Canada. He attended Catholic schools in Thornhill for his early education. He grew interested in social activities while still in school.
He started the initiative ‘We Can Free the Children’ during one of his school assignments. He went on to the University of Toronto to study Peace and Conflict Studies after graduating from Trinity College.
He went on to earn an MBA from York University and Northwestern University, becoming the youngest person to graduate from the Schulich School of Business and Kellogg School of Management’s joint program.
Activism in the Social Sciences
Craig was an emotional child who began his activism at a young age. Craig’s friends and brother were skeptical when he originally proposed the idea of ‘We Can Free the Children,’ but they were inspired by Craig’s commitment to the cause.
After reading about the destiny of a Pakistani boy named Iqbal Masih in the papers, he was heartbroken and learned that age is just a number and that even children can make a difference if they are determined.
Craig and his newfound group initially focused their efforts in south Asian countries, with one of their first requests to India’s Prime Minister asking for the release of imprisoned child labor reformer Kailash Satyarthi.
His parents permitted him to follow a young Canadian social worker, Alam Rahman, on his Asian journey because of his growing interest in social activism. He spent all of his savings on the vacation and borrowed the rest from his parents and family members.
Craig met a number of child laborers and employees from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan. He witnessed youngsters living in deplorable conditions and performed odd jobs such as cleaning up litter and providing free food and medicine to those children.
Craig learned of the then-prime minister of Canada’s visit to India while on the South Asian tour, and he requested an audience with him to discuss the subject of child labor.
Craig became somewhat of a celebrity in North America as a result of this news, and he was invited to appear on ’60 Minutes’ and ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ shortly after his return to Canada.
In multiple TV interviews, he described his experiences in Asia and appealed for more people to get involved in the cause. He went on to write the book ‘Free the Children,’ which inspired Judy Jackson to make a documentary on his travels called ‘It Takes a Child.’
Craig founded ‘Me to We,’ a company that sells socially beneficial products and services. Half of the profit from the business is used to expand Free the Children, and the other half is used to expand the business.
Craig and his brother Marc co-wrote the book “Me to We” in 2004, and the siblings were awarded the Ernst & Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the firm “Me to We” in 2008. Meanwhile, Free the Children continued to expand rapidly, and Craig continued to travel to developing nations and meet with their leaders in order to secure financial support for the goal of ending child labor.
Aside from his humanitarian endeavors and social activism, Craig works as a columnist for a number of respected publications, including The Huffington Post, Waterloo Region Record, Victoria Times Colonist, and Vancouver Sun, among others. In addition, he and his brother, Marc, have a regular piece in the ‘Globe and Mail’ called ‘Ask the Kielburgers.’
Craig has earned over two dozen accolades and honors from throughout the world, the most well-known of which include the Nelson Mandela Human Rights Award, the Reebok Human Rights Award, the Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship, and doctoral honors from a number of Canadian and international universities.
Craig is currently focused on expanding Free the Children, and he has already raised millions of dollars to help him achieve his goal. He continues to travel and give speeches, urging people to join him in his efforts to end child labor around the world.
Craig’s Personal Experiences
Craig Kielburger married Leysa Creswell in 2016, just three months after their engagement was announced. Nelly Furtado, a well-known singer, sang at their wedding.
Estimated Net worth
Craig Kielburger’s net worth is $123 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, IMDb, and other online databases. He is 36 years old. As a professional Activist, he made the money. He is a Canadian.