Oprah Winfrey and Craig Kielburger introduce the O Ambassadors program.

Welcome from Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey

Welcome to the O Ambassadors program. Thank you for visiting our site to learn more about the challenging projects that we are about to undertake.

It is both fulfilling and rewarding to start a project that requires hands on, hands in participation from young people who want to create lasting change in the lives of others. Through the O Ambassadors program, our students will work toward the Millennium Development Goals, to address the needs of the world’s poorest people. It is hard to believe that there are millions of people who still don’t have access to food, clean water, or medical care. But I am encouraged by the spirit of the young people in the United States and Canada who feel the obligation to help their global neighbors. To give of themselves. And to inspire others to do the same.

In 2000, I met Craig Kielburger, who at 17 was already changing the lives of young people around the world. He founded his own organization called Free The Children to help put an end to child labor. He has made a career out of fighting for children’s freedom. And today, his organization is partnering with our Angel Network to create O Ambassadors.

Often people become dismayed at the appalling conditions that exist for people in all places across our planet, and ask why does it have to be this way?

It doesn’t. It just takes a decision and a commitment to make it better.

Thank you for joining us in service to a better world.

Oprah Winfrey

Welcome from Craig Kielburger

Craig Kielburger

You are never too young to change the world. It’s a lesson I learned at an early age, and a lesson we hope young people all over the United States and Canada will learn through O Ambassadors.

When I was 12, I read a newspaper article about a Pakistani child laborer named Iqbal Masih who was killed for standing up for children’s rights. The tragic story of his life sparked my desire to take action. I started a group called Free The Children to help defend the rights of children all over the world.

That was more than 10 years ago. Since then, Free The Children has built more than 500 schools around the world, educating 50,000 kids every day and helping them avoid the destructive path of child labor. Along the way we have been joined by many young people, coming together to create a global network of children challenging global poverty through their commitment to helping others.

Oprah has been a great friend of Free The Children and is an inspiration to us. With her incredible dedication to helping others, she has shared the gift of education with thousands of children through supporting our schoolbuilding campaigns. We are excited to be working on a joint project with her and Oprah’s Angel Network to bring you the O Ambassadors program.

O Ambassadors is about supporting young change-makers as they work to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. It’s about believing in the incredible potential we all have to reach out for a better world. Thank you for exploring our site and believing in the power of youth.

Craig Kielburger
Free The Children
Founder and Chair