Home>Service> Awardees of Fervent Global Love of Lives Award> 14th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2011> Leader Today-- Marc Kielburger of Canada
We are the Leaders
We as a young generation embrace people. We have shifted the focus of our life from “I” to “we”. We acknowledge the fact that one person can change the world. We take actions to drive positive social changes and enjoy a deep sense of happiness as a result.
--Marc Kielburger
Me to We
Marc Kielburger, from Canada , is an outstanding alumnus of Harvard University and a Rhodes Scholar at University of Oxford . He gave up many high-paying job opportunities and decided to help others. Together with his younger brother Craig Kielburger, he founded Leaders Today and Free the Children. He is the CEO of both public-interest groups and a columnist of Toronto Star newspaper. Marc has provided local and international leadership trainings and classes to 350,000 young people worldwide every year. Mark and his brother, Craig, have visited a total of 45 countries, including Bangladesh , India , Nepal , Pakistan , Brazil and Nigeria , and witnessed the incidents of child abuse. They gathered over a million of young volunteers to participate in a new scheme to help those children with education. They established over 500 schools in developing countries, providing education to over 50,000 children. With actions such as “Adopt a Village”, they provide medical care, water, hygiene service, and micro finance to poor families and women. The efforts of the Kielburger brothers have changed the life of tens of thousands of children. They have received the awards as one of the 250 Young Global Leaders from the World Economic Forum and Top 40 Leaders Under Forty in Canada , as the youngest winner.
Change the Status Quo with Passion, Creativity and Actions
Marc Kielburger, was born in Toronto , Canada , on February 9, 1977. His father, Fred Kielburger, is a retired high school teacher. His mother, Theresa Kielburger, is a retired elementary school teacher. Marc's wife, Roxanne Joyal, is a lawyer, as well as the legal counsel to Free the Children and Leaders Today. On April 19, 1995, the headline news in Toronto newspapers quoted a release from Associated Press. It was a report on Iqbal Masih, a 12-year-old child labor leader's fight against capitalists in Islamabad . Iqbal Masih disclosed the misery of child workers and advocated the end of child abuse. Whilst Iqbal Masih was attracting international attention, he was assassinated. This story changed the life of the Kielburger brothers. From children of the middle class, they became revolutionists with a great sense of justice. They worked together with 11 classmates to establish “Free the Children”, and convinced their parents to allow them to visit 45 countries over the years, including Bangladesh , India , Nepal , Pakistan , Brazil and Nigeria . The Kielburger brothers adventured the world to seek the bitter truth of mistreated children. They found that adults did not do their part to take care of kids. Rather, they are the cause of the child labor problem. Since then, the Kielburger brothers believe that children have to fight for their own rights and seek to protect the 250 million child labors around the world. From 1999 onward, over 100,000 young people from 45 countries responded to their call during the past 15 years, by setting up international branches of “Free the Children”. The first step is to raise funds for 500 hope elementary schools, so that education can help child labors in different countries to change their own predicament. The second step is to denote $50 million worth of medical care goods to 50,000 schools in remote areas, to improve the health of child labors. The third step is to establish water transportation systems in less developed countries such as Nicaragua so that poor children can drink clean water too. The fourth step is to found Leaders Today as a charity organization to help 350,000 aspiring young people around the world to learn about the knowledge economy and develop leadership. They are dedicated to services in all areas and determined to change the status quo with passion, creativity and actions. Below is the story Marc Kielburger tells about himself:
Heritage Left Behind
What we see will forever change us. Once we have seen it, we can never turn back.
~Angeles Arrien, Cultural Anthropologist, USA
At the age of 18, I was a university freshman and worked part-time in the Lower House of Parliament of Canada as an administrative assistant. I put on a jacket and a tie, responsible for getting water for the most powerful leaders of the country. I passed around stationeries, and delivered classified documents. This was a tedious task, but it allowed the major events to go smooth (except for the accident that I spilled a glass of water on the Prime Minister). I was thrilled to be able to witness new chapters in history and I looked forward to embarking my political career from here.
One day, I passed a paper note for a gentleman with a serious look and thin hair. He suddenly asked me, “Young man, what heritage do you want to leave behind?” I was never asked to answer this question before, but I said immediately, “Sir, I plan to study hard so that I can deliver tea with better efficiency. One day, I would become a senior assistant and I will teach all the junior guys how to fetch water and stationeries.” This gentleman thought my reply was boring but he did not give it up. He started to introduce to me a charity organization that helps slums in Thailand and asked me whether I would be interested in joining. I declined and said, “No, thank you, sir.” I was very satisfied with the status quo.
I thought this would end here, but he was persistent. He called me in for a talk in the following few days and asked me the same question. He was too persuasive. After the end of that semester, I took on the flight going to Bangkok , Thailand .
That was a big adventure. I gave up the “dream job” in the eyes of others -- writing speeches for a senator, and had to postpone my university scholarship plans. I spent all my savings on the flight ticket and told my parents that I was going away to “change the world”. To make them agree to my decision, I promised I would be back to complete my education. When they asked me whether the overseas accommodation was safe, I gave them a vague reply.
I was determined that this was an opportunity of a lifetime to help others. If I did not do it then, it would be even more difficult in later days. Once I am settled with the easy life in Ottawa , I can never summon up my courage to take any adventure.
Upon arriving in Bangkok , I was stunned by the marble floors and beautiful architectures of the airport. Gold-plated high-rises are everywhere. When in a taxi I looked to the left and saw a BMW, and to the right I saw a Mercedes Benz. I wondered what the heck I was doing by giving up my good job to help these rich guys in Thailand . I was scared. I was all alone in a foreign country. I did not understand Thai and it was difficult to get in touch with my family. Meanwhile, I was also very angry because I must have been fooled into leaving behind my comfortable life in North America to help others where help was not needed.
At this juncture, the taxi went into Khlong, a gutter forgotten by the outside world. Located near the harbor on the outskirt of Bangkok , Khlong is far from affluent communities. For miles, there are nothing but tin houses, concrete walls, zinc-plated rooftops, gutters and trash piles. This is a place not mentioned on a tourist map. It was my first sight of poverty. My heart went sinking. I began to wonder whether I was capable of dealing with the environment and bringing about changes. I felt I was dead wrong.
Shocked by AIDS
The tens of thousands of residents in Khlong have daily living expense of less than $1 USD. It is hard to believe that a community cannot feed its residents in a country known for cuisine, beaches and multi-cultures. They struggle to meet their basic needs.
I was assigned to work in a community development center of Khlong. That place is called the slaughter house. Slaughtering, killing animal for meat, is the most important source of incomes for the community.
On the way, I pondered on the wealth of the people in Bangkok and the poverty of the residents in Khlong. When I arrived in the community development center, the volunteer workers greeted me warmly. I was shown to a humble and simple room where I would be staying. From midnight to dawn, I could hear the screaming of pigs breaking out against the nightly skies.
I dropped my luggage in the room and was taken to an AIDS hospital in a nursery in the slum. Later I realized that according to the official statement of the Thai government, this AIDS hospital did not exist at all. At that time, the Thai government claimed that nobody has AIDS in Thailand . Of course, Thai people get sick too and sometimes very ill, but nobody has AIDS. In this hospital, the number of “critically ill” people was on a constant increase.
I walked into a ward and two Thai nurses came to me. The first one said, “Thanks God, you have finally arrived. Marc, you are a doctor, right?”
I shook my head.
“You are a medical student! “
I shook my head again.
“You must know medicine, right? “
“Somewhat. I watched ER every week... “
They spoke with Thai for a while. The first nurse said, “That is not a problem. You need to cram up for medical training of four hours. “
I protested. “In Canada , it takes years to get training in medical schools.”
She said, “We do not have so much time. Let's get started.”
In the next few hours, I learned to clean wounds, intravenous injections, bedsore treatments and dispatch prescriptions. The workload was heavy. The worst thing is that it was humid and hot. Electricity came and went. There is a bad stink in the air. I desperately tried to hide my fear and disgust. Still, I dashed to the bathroom and threw up a few times.
Near the end of the training, the nurse grabbed me to the side. She said, “Two things for you. To the left end of the wards is the “exit”. By which she meant the exit of the life. “Terminal patients were all hidden at the back of the curtains. After they stopped breathing, they would be sent out.” “The second thing is that both of us have worked non-stop for three weeks. You are on your own for the next shift to clean up the wards”. I was so astonished that I was speechless.
The other nurse padded on my shoulders when she turned around and was about to leave. “Do not worry, Marc. Think of it the first lesson of internship.” They left, leaving me behind, lost and worried. I strived to be calm. I calculated that I had to be responsible for 24 AIDS patients. What should I do? What can I do?
Education outside of Textbooks
I used the skills acquired by running errands in the Parliament of Canada. I gave water to patients, some with ice, others without. After that, I tried to cheer everybody up (including myself). I clapped my hands with patients, and soon, everybody laughed. Some patients found me amusing and others laughed at me. However, I did not mind. I thought as long as they were smiling, everything should be fine. Not before long, a patient in the exit area could not breathe due to pleural effusion.
I heard him breathing with difficulties in the ward. Panicked, I pulled of the curtains and fed him the medication prescribed by the nurse. He did not get any better and was still out of breath. I was in tears and went out to the streets for help. Passengers looked at me with sympathy but nobody was willing to go into the ward with me. Later I knew that they thought they would get AIDS too if they got in. I had no choice but to keep the patient company by returning to the hospital. I did not even know his name and I never would. I could do nothing but sat down holding his hands. I looked at his eyes and watched him passing away with the last breath. A life just disappeared. I felt a pain never before and the painful feelings are still with me even today.
I was still crying, out of control, when the nurses came back. I collapsed emotionally. They told me that people die in hospital. They come here because they are sick and we should get back to work. I looked at them with amazement. Returning to work? I am not an emotionless person. This was not what I came here for.
I suppressed my painful feelings and thanked the instruction the two nurses gave me. I told them that I was going home. One day as a volunteer worker made me decide to quit.
I called my parents and asked them to arrange my return ticket. It was such a difficult call to make. This means that I was defeated. I had been a confident boy, thinking that I could do anything. I had to admit that my abilities were limited. I was afraid to think that what I should say when people at home ask me why I was back so early.
However, I was eager to go home. I ran back to my room and started to pack. At this time, somebody knocked on the door. I looked outside and saw a boy about the age of my younger brother Craig. Wearing a yellow T-shirt and blue shorts, he was staring at me. He said, “What are you doing?” I told him gently that I was on my way out. He insisted, “You cannot go! You have to stay for our birthday party.”
This boy's English is surprisingly fluent. I learned from crash course of a few hours that if the children in Khlong speak English, it is not because they go to school. It is most likely that they are engaged in sex trade with English-speaking foreigners. This boy speaks English with an European accent. I stopped my packing and listened to him instead.
He said that street kids never know who their parents are. They do not know of their own age or birthday. However, they organize an annual birthday party for themselves, with their hard-earned money. The party this year was just a few days away.
The boy asked me to join the party and I said yes without even thinking. Would I go? I was confused. I wanted to leave but I decided to stay for another while.
During the following few days, I met the friends of the boy. They taught me basic Thai. I looked at how these bare-footed boys scratch a living by shining shoes for others. They said that the police enjoy bullying them physically but they looked after each other. I was so surprised. I have never seen education of this kind from textbooks.
Be Myself
A few days later, I went to the party. I heard laughter before I even arrived. They were so happy seeing me there because there was a new friend sharing peanuts and watermelons.
This was one of the most meaningful moments of my life. I became humble by joining such a special gathering. A group of poor kids who cannot even afford shoes gave me new perspectives. There were food, singing, dancing, storytelling and laughter in the party. It was nothing like the birthday parties I had been to. There were no piles of gifts but there were a houseful of joys. These children celebrate their own birth in hardship. From that moment on, I began to realize the true meaning of happiness.
I decided to stay because of these young boys. I lived in Khlong nearly one year after the party. I taught elementary school children English and spent many sad days in the AIDS wards. I watched one patient die after another. However, I went to join these kids for football at 7AM every day.
The trip to Thailand changed my life. I went with a wayward idea of the youth but returned with courage to be myself. Upon leaving Khlong, I thought over the question that led me to this journey. “What heritage do you want to leave behind?” The answer was getting closer to me now.
When I returned to North America , I did not go back to my work in the Parliament of Canada. My priorities have changed. I intended to continue my education and learn more about this world. I decided to pay tribute to my mates in Thailand with a more meaningful way. Finally, I took the full scholarship offered by Harvard University to study International Relations.
That was a killing decision! The pace of Harvard is fast and the schoolwork is heavy. Luckily I enjoyed it. I went to Harvard to study so I did not mind spending days in the library. Slowly and gradually, I resolved many problems in my mind. However, more problems started to surface too.
Four years later, I came to face the second biggest question in life. “What next?”
In order to attract Harvard graduates, all the major banks in the world host information seminars in luxury hotels. Service staffs bring delicious prawns and oysters to the students; bankers speak with eloquence on the stage, introducing their financial performances and depicting a wealthy future for us. They are mostly males, talking with buzzwords such as private equity, wealth management, leverage buyouts and M&As.
A list of good vacancies was waiting for me when I graduated. The most interesting one was offered by an old manufacturer, as a factory manager in Estonia . “It is cold there but the salary is high!” However, most jobs were still with investment banks on the Wall Street. The starting salary was almost the sum of my parents' incomes. Those positions required me to help companies toward success, restructuring, firing employees efficiently, so that these companies could be more “productive” or “with higher cost benefits”.
Passion to Help Others
Fortunately, I did not have to choose a job because I was on my way to study laws at University of Oxford , UK . After I became a Rhodes Scholars (awarded by Rhodes scholarship to study at Oxford ), I realized that large corporations are even better in recruiting talents. (Note: Rhodes scholarships are the scholarship program with the longest history and highest reputation in the universities of the US , and are offered to students who would be studying at University of Oxford ). According to unwritten rules, Rhodes Scholars can choose from any consulting firms. Some companies claim that they hire the largest number of Rhodes Scholars. The starting salary offered by one consulting firm was US$160,000, on top of sign-up bonuses, allowances and relocation expenses. For a young person like me, who received US$12 per hour as an administrative assistance in a parliament, the offer was not bad at all.
However, I was sure that it was not what I wanted. Money was indeed attractively, particularly after years of living on cans of meat sauce for years. However, their jobs are simply too dull. Sitting in the office the whole day? Not me. When I told my classmates that I would probably go back to North America and devote myself to charity work for children, everybody teased me. One guy even said that he would “take pity on” me. If I return to London , he would let me stay in his house.
It was not easy to reject this type of high-salary jobs. I was worried whether I was wasting my great education. After all, even if I did not go to Harvard or Oxford , I would still lead “Free the Children”. My heart sank at the thought that my classmates could make a fortune and get to the top of corporate ladders. How should I repay my student loans? How can I save money to buy a car and afford the down payment of my apartment? Economic uncertainties made me anxious. However, my passion to help others overcame my internal struggle.
I chose an inspiring life for which I get up every day to embrace a new challenge. I often work 16 hours per day, but not for myself. In 1999, I founded “Leaders Today, an organization that allows me to utilize my skills. I help 350,000 young people each year by providing them with leadership training. I also dedicate myself fully to “Free the Children”. I establish schools in developing countries and give speeches to kids. I meet interesting people and help the misfortunate. The young people that I work with also enjoy a life full of happiness and passion. Being able to do this work makes me humble. Unlike my classmates who work on the Wall Street who can afford a watch of $5,000, I am very happy with my 100-dollar cheap one. I cannot afford five-star restaurants, and often cook pasta with meat sauce. However, I see myself smiling and helping others. This makes me happy.
Like my younger brother Craig, I also experienced the change “from me to we”.
I witnessed the strength of this philosophy at the birthday party of my friends in Thailand . It woke me up when I was young. I believe that the charity, love and leadership I have learned from street children far exceed the teaching of any prestigious professor.
Sometimes, the most important lessons of life have to be presented in front of us so that we can see their true values.
We as a young generation embrace people. We have shifted the focus of our life from “I” to “we”. We acknowledge the fact that one person can change the world. We take actions to drive positive social changes and enjoy a deep sense of happiness as a result.
--Marc Kielburger
Me to We
Marc Kielburger, from Canada , is an outstanding alumnus of Harvard University and a Rhodes Scholar at University of Oxford . He gave up many high-paying job opportunities and decided to help others. Together with his younger brother Craig Kielburger, he founded Leaders Today and Free the Children. He is the CEO of both public-interest groups and a columnist of Toronto Star newspaper. Marc has provided local and international leadership trainings and classes to 350,000 young people worldwide every year. Mark and his brother, Craig, have visited a total of 45 countries, including Bangladesh , India , Nepal , Pakistan , Brazil and Nigeria , and witnessed the incidents of child abuse. They gathered over a million of young volunteers to participate in a new scheme to help those children with education. They established over 500 schools in developing countries, providing education to over 50,000 children. With actions such as “Adopt a Village”, they provide medical care, water, hygiene service, and micro finance to poor families and women. The efforts of the Kielburger brothers have changed the life of tens of thousands of children. They have received the awards as one of the 250 Young Global Leaders from the World Economic Forum and Top 40 Leaders Under Forty in Canada , as the youngest winner.
Change the Status Quo with Passion, Creativity and Actions
Marc Kielburger, was born in Toronto , Canada , on February 9, 1977. His father, Fred Kielburger, is a retired high school teacher. His mother, Theresa Kielburger, is a retired elementary school teacher. Marc's wife, Roxanne Joyal, is a lawyer, as well as the legal counsel to Free the Children and Leaders Today. On April 19, 1995, the headline news in Toronto newspapers quoted a release from Associated Press. It was a report on Iqbal Masih, a 12-year-old child labor leader's fight against capitalists in Islamabad . Iqbal Masih disclosed the misery of child workers and advocated the end of child abuse. Whilst Iqbal Masih was attracting international attention, he was assassinated. This story changed the life of the Kielburger brothers. From children of the middle class, they became revolutionists with a great sense of justice. They worked together with 11 classmates to establish “Free the Children”, and convinced their parents to allow them to visit 45 countries over the years, including Bangladesh , India , Nepal , Pakistan , Brazil and Nigeria . The Kielburger brothers adventured the world to seek the bitter truth of mistreated children. They found that adults did not do their part to take care of kids. Rather, they are the cause of the child labor problem. Since then, the Kielburger brothers believe that children have to fight for their own rights and seek to protect the 250 million child labors around the world. From 1999 onward, over 100,000 young people from 45 countries responded to their call during the past 15 years, by setting up international branches of “Free the Children”. The first step is to raise funds for 500 hope elementary schools, so that education can help child labors in different countries to change their own predicament. The second step is to denote $50 million worth of medical care goods to 50,000 schools in remote areas, to improve the health of child labors. The third step is to establish water transportation systems in less developed countries such as Nicaragua so that poor children can drink clean water too. The fourth step is to found Leaders Today as a charity organization to help 350,000 aspiring young people around the world to learn about the knowledge economy and develop leadership. They are dedicated to services in all areas and determined to change the status quo with passion, creativity and actions. Below is the story Marc Kielburger tells about himself:
Heritage Left Behind
What we see will forever change us. Once we have seen it, we can never turn back.
~Angeles Arrien, Cultural Anthropologist, USA
At the age of 18, I was a university freshman and worked part-time in the Lower House of Parliament of Canada as an administrative assistant. I put on a jacket and a tie, responsible for getting water for the most powerful leaders of the country. I passed around stationeries, and delivered classified documents. This was a tedious task, but it allowed the major events to go smooth (except for the accident that I spilled a glass of water on the Prime Minister). I was thrilled to be able to witness new chapters in history and I looked forward to embarking my political career from here.
One day, I passed a paper note for a gentleman with a serious look and thin hair. He suddenly asked me, “Young man, what heritage do you want to leave behind?” I was never asked to answer this question before, but I said immediately, “Sir, I plan to study hard so that I can deliver tea with better efficiency. One day, I would become a senior assistant and I will teach all the junior guys how to fetch water and stationeries.” This gentleman thought my reply was boring but he did not give it up. He started to introduce to me a charity organization that helps slums in Thailand and asked me whether I would be interested in joining. I declined and said, “No, thank you, sir.” I was very satisfied with the status quo.
I thought this would end here, but he was persistent. He called me in for a talk in the following few days and asked me the same question. He was too persuasive. After the end of that semester, I took on the flight going to Bangkok , Thailand .
That was a big adventure. I gave up the “dream job” in the eyes of others -- writing speeches for a senator, and had to postpone my university scholarship plans. I spent all my savings on the flight ticket and told my parents that I was going away to “change the world”. To make them agree to my decision, I promised I would be back to complete my education. When they asked me whether the overseas accommodation was safe, I gave them a vague reply.
I was determined that this was an opportunity of a lifetime to help others. If I did not do it then, it would be even more difficult in later days. Once I am settled with the easy life in Ottawa , I can never summon up my courage to take any adventure.
Upon arriving in Bangkok , I was stunned by the marble floors and beautiful architectures of the airport. Gold-plated high-rises are everywhere. When in a taxi I looked to the left and saw a BMW, and to the right I saw a Mercedes Benz. I wondered what the heck I was doing by giving up my good job to help these rich guys in Thailand . I was scared. I was all alone in a foreign country. I did not understand Thai and it was difficult to get in touch with my family. Meanwhile, I was also very angry because I must have been fooled into leaving behind my comfortable life in North America to help others where help was not needed.
At this juncture, the taxi went into Khlong, a gutter forgotten by the outside world. Located near the harbor on the outskirt of Bangkok , Khlong is far from affluent communities. For miles, there are nothing but tin houses, concrete walls, zinc-plated rooftops, gutters and trash piles. This is a place not mentioned on a tourist map. It was my first sight of poverty. My heart went sinking. I began to wonder whether I was capable of dealing with the environment and bringing about changes. I felt I was dead wrong.
Shocked by AIDS
The tens of thousands of residents in Khlong have daily living expense of less than $1 USD. It is hard to believe that a community cannot feed its residents in a country known for cuisine, beaches and multi-cultures. They struggle to meet their basic needs.
I was assigned to work in a community development center of Khlong. That place is called the slaughter house. Slaughtering, killing animal for meat, is the most important source of incomes for the community.
On the way, I pondered on the wealth of the people in Bangkok and the poverty of the residents in Khlong. When I arrived in the community development center, the volunteer workers greeted me warmly. I was shown to a humble and simple room where I would be staying. From midnight to dawn, I could hear the screaming of pigs breaking out against the nightly skies.
I dropped my luggage in the room and was taken to an AIDS hospital in a nursery in the slum. Later I realized that according to the official statement of the Thai government, this AIDS hospital did not exist at all. At that time, the Thai government claimed that nobody has AIDS in Thailand . Of course, Thai people get sick too and sometimes very ill, but nobody has AIDS. In this hospital, the number of “critically ill” people was on a constant increase.
I walked into a ward and two Thai nurses came to me. The first one said, “Thanks God, you have finally arrived. Marc, you are a doctor, right?”
I shook my head.
“You are a medical student! “
I shook my head again.
“You must know medicine, right? “
“Somewhat. I watched ER every week... “
They spoke with Thai for a while. The first nurse said, “That is not a problem. You need to cram up for medical training of four hours. “
I protested. “In Canada , it takes years to get training in medical schools.”
She said, “We do not have so much time. Let's get started.”
In the next few hours, I learned to clean wounds, intravenous injections, bedsore treatments and dispatch prescriptions. The workload was heavy. The worst thing is that it was humid and hot. Electricity came and went. There is a bad stink in the air. I desperately tried to hide my fear and disgust. Still, I dashed to the bathroom and threw up a few times.
Near the end of the training, the nurse grabbed me to the side. She said, “Two things for you. To the left end of the wards is the “exit”. By which she meant the exit of the life. “Terminal patients were all hidden at the back of the curtains. After they stopped breathing, they would be sent out.” “The second thing is that both of us have worked non-stop for three weeks. You are on your own for the next shift to clean up the wards”. I was so astonished that I was speechless.
The other nurse padded on my shoulders when she turned around and was about to leave. “Do not worry, Marc. Think of it the first lesson of internship.” They left, leaving me behind, lost and worried. I strived to be calm. I calculated that I had to be responsible for 24 AIDS patients. What should I do? What can I do?
Education outside of Textbooks
I used the skills acquired by running errands in the Parliament of Canada. I gave water to patients, some with ice, others without. After that, I tried to cheer everybody up (including myself). I clapped my hands with patients, and soon, everybody laughed. Some patients found me amusing and others laughed at me. However, I did not mind. I thought as long as they were smiling, everything should be fine. Not before long, a patient in the exit area could not breathe due to pleural effusion.
I heard him breathing with difficulties in the ward. Panicked, I pulled of the curtains and fed him the medication prescribed by the nurse. He did not get any better and was still out of breath. I was in tears and went out to the streets for help. Passengers looked at me with sympathy but nobody was willing to go into the ward with me. Later I knew that they thought they would get AIDS too if they got in. I had no choice but to keep the patient company by returning to the hospital. I did not even know his name and I never would. I could do nothing but sat down holding his hands. I looked at his eyes and watched him passing away with the last breath. A life just disappeared. I felt a pain never before and the painful feelings are still with me even today.
I was still crying, out of control, when the nurses came back. I collapsed emotionally. They told me that people die in hospital. They come here because they are sick and we should get back to work. I looked at them with amazement. Returning to work? I am not an emotionless person. This was not what I came here for.
I suppressed my painful feelings and thanked the instruction the two nurses gave me. I told them that I was going home. One day as a volunteer worker made me decide to quit.
I called my parents and asked them to arrange my return ticket. It was such a difficult call to make. This means that I was defeated. I had been a confident boy, thinking that I could do anything. I had to admit that my abilities were limited. I was afraid to think that what I should say when people at home ask me why I was back so early.
However, I was eager to go home. I ran back to my room and started to pack. At this time, somebody knocked on the door. I looked outside and saw a boy about the age of my younger brother Craig. Wearing a yellow T-shirt and blue shorts, he was staring at me. He said, “What are you doing?” I told him gently that I was on my way out. He insisted, “You cannot go! You have to stay for our birthday party.”
This boy's English is surprisingly fluent. I learned from crash course of a few hours that if the children in Khlong speak English, it is not because they go to school. It is most likely that they are engaged in sex trade with English-speaking foreigners. This boy speaks English with an European accent. I stopped my packing and listened to him instead.
He said that street kids never know who their parents are. They do not know of their own age or birthday. However, they organize an annual birthday party for themselves, with their hard-earned money. The party this year was just a few days away.
The boy asked me to join the party and I said yes without even thinking. Would I go? I was confused. I wanted to leave but I decided to stay for another while.
During the following few days, I met the friends of the boy. They taught me basic Thai. I looked at how these bare-footed boys scratch a living by shining shoes for others. They said that the police enjoy bullying them physically but they looked after each other. I was so surprised. I have never seen education of this kind from textbooks.
Be Myself
A few days later, I went to the party. I heard laughter before I even arrived. They were so happy seeing me there because there was a new friend sharing peanuts and watermelons.
This was one of the most meaningful moments of my life. I became humble by joining such a special gathering. A group of poor kids who cannot even afford shoes gave me new perspectives. There were food, singing, dancing, storytelling and laughter in the party. It was nothing like the birthday parties I had been to. There were no piles of gifts but there were a houseful of joys. These children celebrate their own birth in hardship. From that moment on, I began to realize the true meaning of happiness.
I decided to stay because of these young boys. I lived in Khlong nearly one year after the party. I taught elementary school children English and spent many sad days in the AIDS wards. I watched one patient die after another. However, I went to join these kids for football at 7AM every day.
The trip to Thailand changed my life. I went with a wayward idea of the youth but returned with courage to be myself. Upon leaving Khlong, I thought over the question that led me to this journey. “What heritage do you want to leave behind?” The answer was getting closer to me now.
When I returned to North America , I did not go back to my work in the Parliament of Canada. My priorities have changed. I intended to continue my education and learn more about this world. I decided to pay tribute to my mates in Thailand with a more meaningful way. Finally, I took the full scholarship offered by Harvard University to study International Relations.
That was a killing decision! The pace of Harvard is fast and the schoolwork is heavy. Luckily I enjoyed it. I went to Harvard to study so I did not mind spending days in the library. Slowly and gradually, I resolved many problems in my mind. However, more problems started to surface too.
Four years later, I came to face the second biggest question in life. “What next?”
In order to attract Harvard graduates, all the major banks in the world host information seminars in luxury hotels. Service staffs bring delicious prawns and oysters to the students; bankers speak with eloquence on the stage, introducing their financial performances and depicting a wealthy future for us. They are mostly males, talking with buzzwords such as private equity, wealth management, leverage buyouts and M&As.
A list of good vacancies was waiting for me when I graduated. The most interesting one was offered by an old manufacturer, as a factory manager in Estonia . “It is cold there but the salary is high!” However, most jobs were still with investment banks on the Wall Street. The starting salary was almost the sum of my parents' incomes. Those positions required me to help companies toward success, restructuring, firing employees efficiently, so that these companies could be more “productive” or “with higher cost benefits”.
Passion to Help Others
Fortunately, I did not have to choose a job because I was on my way to study laws at University of Oxford , UK . After I became a Rhodes Scholars (awarded by Rhodes scholarship to study at Oxford ), I realized that large corporations are even better in recruiting talents. (Note: Rhodes scholarships are the scholarship program with the longest history and highest reputation in the universities of the US , and are offered to students who would be studying at University of Oxford ). According to unwritten rules, Rhodes Scholars can choose from any consulting firms. Some companies claim that they hire the largest number of Rhodes Scholars. The starting salary offered by one consulting firm was US$160,000, on top of sign-up bonuses, allowances and relocation expenses. For a young person like me, who received US$12 per hour as an administrative assistance in a parliament, the offer was not bad at all.
However, I was sure that it was not what I wanted. Money was indeed attractively, particularly after years of living on cans of meat sauce for years. However, their jobs are simply too dull. Sitting in the office the whole day? Not me. When I told my classmates that I would probably go back to North America and devote myself to charity work for children, everybody teased me. One guy even said that he would “take pity on” me. If I return to London , he would let me stay in his house.
It was not easy to reject this type of high-salary jobs. I was worried whether I was wasting my great education. After all, even if I did not go to Harvard or Oxford , I would still lead “Free the Children”. My heart sank at the thought that my classmates could make a fortune and get to the top of corporate ladders. How should I repay my student loans? How can I save money to buy a car and afford the down payment of my apartment? Economic uncertainties made me anxious. However, my passion to help others overcame my internal struggle.
I chose an inspiring life for which I get up every day to embrace a new challenge. I often work 16 hours per day, but not for myself. In 1999, I founded “Leaders Today, an organization that allows me to utilize my skills. I help 350,000 young people each year by providing them with leadership training. I also dedicate myself fully to “Free the Children”. I establish schools in developing countries and give speeches to kids. I meet interesting people and help the misfortunate. The young people that I work with also enjoy a life full of happiness and passion. Being able to do this work makes me humble. Unlike my classmates who work on the Wall Street who can afford a watch of $5,000, I am very happy with my 100-dollar cheap one. I cannot afford five-star restaurants, and often cook pasta with meat sauce. However, I see myself smiling and helping others. This makes me happy.
Like my younger brother Craig, I also experienced the change “from me to we”.
I witnessed the strength of this philosophy at the birthday party of my friends in Thailand . It woke me up when I was young. I believe that the charity, love and leadership I have learned from street children far exceed the teaching of any prestigious professor.
Sometimes, the most important lessons of life have to be presented in front of us so that we can see their true values.
Awardees of Fervent Global Love of Lives Award- 27th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2024
- 26th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2023
- 25th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2022
- 24th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2021
- 23rd Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2020
- 22nd Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2019
- 21st Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2018
- 20th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2017
- 19th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2016
- 18th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2015
- 17th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2014
- 16th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2013
- 15th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2012
- 14th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2011
- 13th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2010
- 12th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2009
- 11th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2008
- 10th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2007
- 9th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2006
- 8th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2005
- 7th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2004
- 6th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2003
- 5th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2002
- 4th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2001
- 3rd Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2000
- 2nd Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 1999
- 1st Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 1998
- Fervent Global Love of Lives Award
- Literary Composition Award
- Melody of Hope Award and Scholarship
- Cancer Fighting Wish Scholarship
