I was bullied horrendously beginning in elementary school. No one who hasn’t gone through it understands, but those of us who have been there, do. It is abuse. The world understands child abuse in other circumstances but discounts the lasting, crushing effects of bullying. I don’t know anything about international admissions so I can’t speak to which schools might accept you and which might give you aid,but if possible, please look outside of the “top” schools. There is no reason to think you will get a better education simply because a school is labeled “prestigious.” My daughter, who has very good stats, is conscientiously seeking a school with a real “nerdy” feel, because that is her personality. She doesn’t care about rank and neither should you. If there are lower ranked schools out there that give sufficient financial aid, find them!
You also got very good advice about characterizing your ECs. Don’t say you were relegated to a job that didn’t exist. Talk about filling a need that you identified. Creating a new position or filling a need IS leadership. Don’t underestimate the impact of your blogs. Blogging on an important subject IS leadership. Caring about birdlife might be a very cool hook for you. Its not something I have ever heard here before. Everyone tutors or volunteers with their churches or at nursing homes, but yours in unique! Does it relate at all to your intended major? You never know, you may very well strike a chord with a fellow bird lover. There are lots of them in the US, especially if you apply to rural colleges.
Leadership can also be leading from within. My eldest daughter is really good at facilitating group projects. She loves working together and helping bring out strengths in others. She talked about how she helped the groups she was involved in and the part she played. It really didn’t matter what the title was.
Make sure you write your entire application with a positive spin. Show how you overcome adversity. Show how you never give up. Show the spirit and enthusiasm you will bring to campus.