TORONTO - He spends his weekdays haunting the corridors of one of Canada's most elite private schools, but Bilaal Rajan's time isn't solely occupied with the pursuits of the average Grade 8 student.

As a child ambassador for UNICEF, Rajan travels to the world's poorest nations, then tours his home country sharing his experiences with peers and elders alike.

When not grappling with homework, he spends his time devising strategies to raise money and awareness of the struggles experienced by those living in the Third World. It's a heavy load for a 12-year-old to carry, but Rajan believes it's one that he and others of his generation need to shoulder.

"Children are the ones who are able to make a difference," Rajan said from his home in Richmond Hill, Ont. "There are so many people that need help, and we've got to do something about it."

Rajan was exposed to charitable efforts from an early age, attending fundraising walks before he was physically able to participate in them. But the desire to help others was cemented by the age of eight when he saw a picture of a weeping child in a newspaper.

The image aroused questions of fairness for Rajan, who wondered why accidents of birth could make such a difference in the fates of children the same age.

After learning of devastation brought about by hurricanes in Haiti, Rajan spearheaded his first major fundraising project, selling cookie boxes in Toronto's busiest public spaces and raising $6,000 that he donated to UNICEF.

When a deadly tsunami crashed ashore in Asia in December 2004, Rajan stepped up his fundraising efforts, issuing a national challenge for children to raise $100 each.

He enlisted the help of UNICEF, hoping to raise $1 million overall. When he exceeded that goal, he was invited to represent the organization as a child ambassador.

Since then, his travels for UNICEF have opened his eyes not only to the plights of others, but to the privilege he experiences as a student at St. Andrew's College in Aurora, Ont. The manicured campus and top-flight facilities formed a sharp contrast for Rajan when he visited a school in Malawi.

"I was expecting to see a building with a roof and walls and little desks. But there was no structure at all. There was just a blackboard made out of a pile of mud. There was a tree where people would sit in the shade, and that was it," he said.

"It was just crazy. I would never imagine this. I thought `I have to do something about it."'

Rajan's latest project is designed to raise awareness rather than money, and has been timed to coincide with International Volunteer Week. He will be going barefoot all next week in hopes of making people consider the plight of those who go without shoes every day.

Using Facebook and other tools favoured by his generation, Rajan has spread the word of his "Barefoot Challenge" and says friends as far afield as Australia, Thailand, Tanzania and Afghanistan have vowed to shed their shoes to support him.

One supporter closer to home is Leigh McMaster-Virani, a Toronto-area volunteer who has worked closely with Rajan in some of his previous charitable efforts.

As deputy convener of the schools program for the World Partnership Walk, she's witnessed Rajan's fundraising skills at work and says he and his school team have been able to raise $50,000 for the charity, which supports development projects in Asia and Africa.

She views Rajan as an ideal role model for young people, even holding him up as an example for her own six-year-old son. And she believes Rajan's message is falling on receptive ears within his own peer group, particularly with young girls who tend to get giddy when they hear him speak.

"Everybody has a lot of respect for him," she said. "He's not telling them what to do. Kids know what they're doing and that wouldn't go over very well."

McMaster-Virani plans to take Rajan up on his latest challenge, saying the campaign is an effective way of highlighting struggles faced by those in the Third World.

Rajan hopes others will follow his lead, saying his primary goal is to inspire others to connect with global issues and take concrete actions to instigate change.

"Some adults think I'm too young to be doing this, but others say it's inspiring," he said. "And kids can relate to me. They say `he's just like me, maybe I can do it too."'