Young people change the world
Are teens lazy and selfish? We don’t think so. This week, we look at two teenagers who
started charities − and changed the lives of many people.
Kids Saving the Rainforest
In 1999, Janine Licare and Aislin Livingstone were nine-year-old friends who lived near
the rainforest in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. It is a beautiful natural area. 1 The
area was becoming popular with tourists, and people were cutting down trees to make
new roads and hotels. Animals like monkeys were dying, too. Cars often hit them on the
roads.
The girls wanted to stop the destruction so they started a charity called Kids Saving the
Rainforest. Soon, they had enough money to buy a small area of rainforest. The charity
now owns this land, so the trees are protected forever. The girls helped the wildlife, too.
2 They also build rope bridges which go between trees − so animals like monkeys
can use them to safely cross roads. Because of this, the local monkey population has
started to recover. Kids Saving the Rainforest is still a small charity, but it is growing fast.
Free the Children
In 1995, when Canadian Craig Kielburger was twelve years old, he read a story in a
newspaper. 3 After he read this article, Craig started to find out about child labour.
He discovered that 215 million school children around the world regularly go to work.
4 And they can’t go to school because they need to earn money for their families.
Craig felt angry when he learned this. So, that year, he started a charity which he called
Free the Children. After that, Craig worked very hard to stop child labour. He travelled to
Africa and Asia and met children who had to work. He thought about the comfortable life
which he had in Canada, and compared it with theirs. Craig’s older brother Marc soon
started to work with him, and since then, their charity has built schools in many countries.
5 Thanks to them, thousands of poor children have had an education. And the
chance of a better life.
A It was about a boy in Pakistan who had to go to work every day.
B Much of the rainforest in Manuel Antonio is now a National Park.
C It has also helped many poor parents to send their children to school.
D Because of this, these children don’t have the chance of a normal life.
E But the girls realised that their beautiful forest was in danger.
F Many of them have dirty, dangerous jobs.
G The charity started a rescue centre to help sick and injured animals.

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