around the world..

History

The WE Charity concept was hatched when the 12-year-old Craig Kielburger read a story about another 12-year-old, Iqbal Masih, who was murdered on account of his outspoken protest of child slave labor in Pakistani carpet mills. Realizing that someone of any age had the power to be an agent for change, Kielburger was inspired by Masih's story, which sparked his passion for saving children from slavery and exploitation. Kielburger convinced some of his seventh-grade classmates to join him in his quest to end child labor and established Free the Children, which would later become WE Charity.

Craig and his brother soon discovered, though, that there were many barriers to self-actualization and personal empowerment other than slave labor. Children still needed to work to support their families even after being freed from slave mills. It was clear that there were more fundamental issues at play and that a more comprehensive approach was necessary.

The Five Pillars of Impact

The brothers thus created WE Villages to enable entire communities to emerge from poverty. WE Villages has what it calls five Pillars of Impact, education, : health care, food security, clean water and sanitation, and alternative income.

WE Charity’s collaborative and holistic approach to assisting communities has created legacies of long-term success. By carefully addressing each one of the five pillars, WE Charity is successfully rewriting the destinies of many impoverished communities around the world.

Here are just a few success stories:

*The Oleleshwa Farm in Kenya has produced enough food to create more than two million meals. The farm was recently expanded to 200 acres and 12 greenhouses, student lunch programs are using the farm's produce, and important agricultural training is being provided to community leaders.

*Two wells were repaired in Udawad, India in 2014. More than 800 families now have access to clean water, even during the dry season.

*Girls in Chimborazo, Ecuador have been participating in programs that cultivate and develop public speaking and leadership capabilities. They are also being taught skills such as animal husbandry so that they can become economically independent.

Since 2014, more than 160 such workshops have been held, preparing generations of future female leaders.

Partners

WE Charity partners with many other organizations, school districts, and constituent groups, including the Rick Hansen Foundation, National Youth Leadership Council, World Medical Relief, and Tribes Learning Community.