From The Chronicle Herald
HOW CAN THIS person be only 11 years old?
He speaks so well, so maturely, has seen so much of the world, and is so conscious of the welfare of others.
He must be at least 25, just shorter than most adults.
Bilaal Rajan is a mere 11, a Grade 7 student at St. Andrews College in Toronto, and a worldwide ambassador for UNICEF.
A couple of hundred Grade 7 students at Sackville Heights Junior High School hear Bilaal speak of the impact they can have by raising UNICEF dollars at Halloween to provide poor countries with schools and shelter.
The ovation after his Power Point presentation is thunderous and every teacher in the room, and UNICEF Atlantic regional director John Humble, hope the message has been received.
“Today gave our students a chance to see beyond their own world,” says guidance counsellor Cathy Silverstein. “These good kids are very involved in fundraising for projects like the Terry Fox Foundation, Turkey Club and IWK. Many don’t have a lot, but they come across with funds for good causes.”
Student Kaitlin Welcher was impressed with Bilaal. “It’s amazing that he’s raised five million dollars,” she says. “And I’d never have the courage to talk in front of this number of people.”
“Bilaal grew up in a giving way of life,” says Aman, who, with his wife, Shamim, has always volunteered in their Ismaili Muslim community, which believes in taking care of the other person.
Bilaal, with two books on fundraising and motivation ready for publishing next spring, has spoken to groups for years. Just last summer, he spent several weeks in Tanzania on UNICEF’s behalf. After the tsunami in 2004, he visited Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Maldives to encourage children and adults, and to see where the needs were greatest so he could raise more money.
The young Richmond Hill resident speaks English and French fluently and understands and speaks some Spanish and Mandarin. His marks are straight A’s. He studies while on the road, as he has been for the last 10 days in the Maritimes, addressing schools on UNICEF’s trick-or-treat campaign.
Read more
Bilaal Rajan’s website
(Submitted by Salim Amersi)