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What is Free the Children? "Free the Children is an international network of children helping children through representation, leadership and action." Free the Children has two main purposes:
- To free children from poverty, exploitation and abuse.
Free the Children is dedicated to eliminating the exploitation of children around the world, by encouraging youth to volunteer in, as well as to create programs and activities that relieve the plight of underprivileged children.
- To give children a voice, leadership training, and opportunities to take action on issues which affect them from a local to an international level.
Free the Children believes that all children have the right to full intellectual, physical, emotional and social development. Included in these basic human rights are the right and the responsibility to participate in finding solutions to problems affecting them and other children around the world. About Free the Children
- Free the Children is a registered non profit charitable children�s organization existing in more than 20 countries in the world and growing every day
- Only children under the age of 18 within the organization vote on decisions regarding policy and projects or act as spokespersons for children or for the organization.
- Youth 18 and over act as mentors or chaperones and help with administration and leadership development.
- Most of the work of Free the Children takes place on a local level among children who have formed groups in their schools, neighborhoods, religious centers, communities, or among their friends. Children make decisions regarding projects they undertake and organize the actions themselves.
- Other children�s groups run by children with similar goals are also welcome under the umbrella of Free the Children
- Children are linked through national teams and an international secretariat.
- A children�s Board of Directors makes decisions regarding the policy and direction of the movement.
- The Adult Board of Directors includes a lawyer and an accountant who handle legal contracts for projects, government reports and finances.
Is Free the Children a registered charity? Free the Children has obtained status as a government registered non profit organization in Canada, the USA, Mexico and Germany and can issue income tax receipts for charitable donations within these countries. FTC is seeking charitable status in other countries. Free the Children issues income tax receipts once a year for all donations $10.00 and over. Who handles Free the Children finances? Free the Children International has an accountant who volunteers his time to take care of the books, to work with the auditors (Free the Children books are audited every year) and to comply with government reports. Free the Children also has lawyers who volunteer their time to help with legal matters. How much of the money raised by FTC actually goes to projects?
- Approximately 90% of income goes directly to projects. Some money is needed for administration and operational expenses. Free the Children seeks donations of goods and services as much as possible. For example, the international office, photocopier was donated and is serviced free of charge by Tanya Business Services; our second hand computers and office furniture came from unions and companies which were getting rid of them; photocopying and mail service is often donated. FTC Brazil was recently given office space in a building by a company which supports their work. FTC young people are very careful about spending money on administration
Children have to go to school during the day. Who runs Free the Children�s office during the day and how are they paid?
- Free the Children has grown so big that it needs full time people in the office to answer telephones, and help with administration while children are in school.
- Free the Children is very particular about the adults who work for them. Such adults must understand that FTC is a children�s organization run by children for children and not run by adults for children. Adults work as secretaries, as administrators or as facilitators only. They do not make policy decisions or speak on behalf of the organization.
How does Free the Children raise money for its projects?
- Young people raise money from fundraising activities, such as walk-a-thons or rock-a-thons, bake sales, raffles, selling their toys, doing odd jobs and services, organizing concerts, plays, collecting pop bottles, donating their Bar Mitzvah money or Birthday money etc.
- Free the Children receives donations from adult donors for projects and sometimes for administration.
- Craig Kielburger helps to finance the organization. All of the money which he has raised over the past four years from speeches, awards, including scholarship money and any personal royalties from his book, he has given to Free the Children.
- Free the Children is now applying for grants for projects.
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