News-Record.com

I was astounded at the number of people we met who were heading to Africa to help.

Our flight from London to Nairobi included a group of education students from N.C. Central University who were going to do some teaching in Kenya for a couple of weeks. Coming and going, the planes were full of missionaries and volunteers for various nonprofits and NGOs.

Heading to Nairobi, I sat next to Clark Peterson, a movie producer (credits include "Monster" with Charlize Theron) who was going to Kenya to begin work on a dramatic film about the life of Craig Kielburger, a young Canadian who founded and runs an organization called Free the Children.

Free the Children operates in dozens of countries with the purpose of stopping exploitative child labor. As Peterson described Keilburger's story of starting this organization as a kid himself, and overcoming opposition and obstacles along the way, I could see why he thought the project had strong potential. Not only is it a good story in its own right, but a movie can help spark awareness of an issue that needs more global attention and action.

I was impressed with Peterson, who was down-to-earth, friendly and genuinely interested in using his profession to accomplish something positive. I look forward to seeing this movie in a couple of years.