Here are some little-known facts about Indian child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize along with Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzay
# 1 The Nobel Peace Prize and fighting for children’s lives is not the only common link between Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai. Satyarthi has survived numerous attacks on his life, the last as early as in March 2011, when he raided a garment factory in New Delhi to rescue children.
#2 As a school-going child, Satyarthi was deeply affected by the child-labour in his hometown. This was the foundation was what he was to become. Many years later, he quit his job as an electrical engineer, and began the crusade to end child labour in India.
#3 As a 6-year old, Satyarthi started a football club, and used the membership fee to pay the school fee for those who were too poor to afford them. He, along with a friend collected more than 2,000 school textbooks for poor children. The project went on to become a book bank in Vidisha, his hometown in Madhya Pradesh.
#4 He has been ranked among the top defenders of humanity of all time, alongside Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Elie Wessel and the Dalai Lama.
#5 He has been honoured by former United States President Bill Clinton.
# 6 Has been featured in a 2005 PBS series called The New Heroes, hosted by actor Rober Redford.
# 7 Loves to cook for the rescued child labourers.
#8 He has been nominated several times in the last decade.
#9 He is a cofounder and member of High Level Panel on Education with Gordon Brown, Graca Michel, Kofi Anan, Queen Rania and other world leaders.
#10 The US State Department’s 2007 Trafficking in Persons Report has named him a "Hero Acting to End Modern-Day Slavery."
Watch: This cute video of class VIII students Lauren Watkins and Jocelyn Jenis interview Satyamurthi over the internet. This video won second place in the NYS Speak Truth To Power Video Contest.
Image: Kailash Satyarthi. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
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