About Me

My name is Sally Hakim. I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and have been working as a youth co-ordinator at Free The Children since July 2007. However, I have been a supporter of Free The Children for several years, beginning when I was in high school. As student council president, I made it my goal to involve my entire school in youth empowerment fundraising programs, which helped to raise awareness about children’s rights and children’s poverty.

In 2005, I helped raise $32 000 in medical supplies for tsunami-ravaged Sri Lanka and was picked by Free The Children to fly to Sri Lanka to see the effects of the tsunami first-hand. I also had the opportunity to see what was being done with the funds my school had raised.

For my efforts, I received the Youth in Motion’s Top 20 Under 20 award in 2007. This award is presented to young Canadians for their leadership, innovation, and achievement. I was shocked and honoured!

In 2006, after returning from a trip to Kenya, where I helped build a school, I knew that I wanted to help inspire other young people. I wanted to get them involved and caring about underprivileged children. I, along with four other classmates, gave presentations to over 5000 students and teachers across the Greater Toronto Area, encouraging them to make positive changes in the world.

In the future, I would like to study international development and political science at university. I truly believe that change is possible anywhere, as long as we all work together.