Kimmie Weeks

{{short description|Liberian human rights activist}} {{Infobox writer  | image = | imagesize = 121px | name = Kimmie L. Weeks | caption = Dr.Kimmie L. Weeks, 2010 | pseudonym = | birth_name = | birth_date = December 6, 1981 | birth_place = Monrovia, Liberia | death_place = | occupation = Human Rights Activist, Inspirational Speaker, Executive Director - Youth Action International, Chairman of the Board - Liberia Water & Sewer Corporation, Corporate Communications Strategist - Cellcom | nationality = Liberian | period = | subject = | movement = | notableworks = | spouse = | partner = | children = | relatives = | influences = | influenced = | awards = Brick Awards, Humane Order of African Redemption, National Excellence Award Doctor of Humane Letters | signature = | website = {{URL|http://www.kimmieweeks.com}} }}

'''Kimmie Weeks''' (born December 6, 1981) is a Liberian human rights activist.<ref name="Africa Success">[http://www.africansuccess.org/visuFiche.php?id=675&lang=en "Biography of Kimmie Weeks"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219061113/http://www.africansuccess.org/visuFiche.php?id=675&lang=en |date=2012-02-19 }}, ''African Success''. Retrieved June 24, 2009.</ref>

==Early years==

Born in Monrovia, Liberia, in 1981, Weeks was nine years old when he experienced the First Liberian Civil War at first hand.<ref name="Africa Success"/> He and his mother, Estina Ntow, were forced to leave their home and marched with many other displaced Liberians to a refugee camp set up in university buildings. A classroom filled to capacity with 30 people became his home.<ref name="Africa Success"/> While in the camp, Weeks became deathly ill - dehydrated due to cholera, he also contracted chickenpox and yellow jaundice.<ref name="Gimundo">Kathryn Hawkins, [https://gimundo.com/news/article/a-new-hope-for-africa-young-liberian-activist-kimmie-weeks/ "A New Hope for Africa: Young Liberian Activist, Kimmie Weeks"], ''Gimundo'', February 26, 2008. Retrieved June 24, 2009.</ref> He saw no doctor, no nurse and was administered no medicine except for a few herbs.<ref>Sonia Azad, [http://peacenews.info/node/3944/kimmie-weeks "West African child rights activist - Kimmie Weeks"], ''Peace News'', March 2008, Issue 2495.</ref> When other refugees sharing the classroom with them could no longer find a pulse in Weeks, it was decided, over his mother's objections, that he had died. He was thrown still alive onto one of many piles of dead bodies in the refugee camp.<ref name="IB World Magazine">"The Survivor", [http://www.ibo.org/ibworld/may2008/thesurvivor.cfm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121055752/http://www.ibo.org/ibworld/may2008/thesurvivor.cfm |date=2008-11-21 }}, Retrieved June 24, 2009.</ref> Weeks's mother refused to accept that he was dead. She searched until she found his body and resuscitated him, beating on his chest and shaking him until he regained consciousness. That same night, Weeks vowed to dedicate the rest of his childhood and adult life to making the world a better place for children.<ref name="Gimundo"/>

His early projects were small community-based initiatives, which he and groups of children his age carried out to help their own community. At the age of 14, he heard about the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) for the first time and began to organize community initiatives to promote the CRC and the concept that "children should be seen AND heard."

==Initial projects==

thumb|Kimmie Weeks visits internally displaced people camps in Sierra Leone.

Weeks co-founded Voice of the Future Inc. (VOF) in 1994 along with Richelieu Allison. The organization set its mission to work as an advocacy organization for the rights of children in Liberia. Over the years, it developed close connections with the United Nations and worked as an implementing partner for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).<ref name="Time For Kids">[http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/teachers/wr/article/0,27972,490935,00. "Too Young to Fight"]{{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, ''Time For Kids'', October 2003.</ref> VOF provided informal health care and education to children across Liberia through a network of more than 4,000 volunteers.."<ref name="ReferenceA">The Amherst Story Project: "Kimmie Weeks' Story", 2005.</ref>

In 1996 Weeks, now 15, founded and chaired the Children's Disarmament Campaign. With support from UNICEF, the campaign lobbied a deadline for the disarmament of child soldiers, meeting warring faction, political, spiritual leaders and heads of civic societies to set a date for the disarmament of child soldiers. Several marches, indoor programs and publicity campaigns were also held to attract attention to the cause.<ref>Richardson, Emily: "Amherst College graduate Kimmie Weeks wins Brick Award", 2007.</ref>

In 1997, with the holding of general disarmament in Liberia, Weeks established Liberia's first children's information service, The Children's Bureau of Information, which worked alongside Search for Common Ground/Talking Drum Studio to produce radio programs aimed at reintegrating child soldiers into the community. The 15-minute weekly broadcasts are aired on three local radio stations.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

In 1998, the Liberian government of Charles Taylor made several attempts to assassinate Weeks because of a report he issued on the Liberian government's involvement in the training of child soldiers.<ref name=A>[https://www.amherst.edu/news/events/commencement/awards/2011/weeks Amherst College website, ''Kimmie L. Weeks, 2005'']</ref>

Fearing for his safety, Weeks went into hiding for more than three weeks before crossing into neighboring Ivory Coast under an assumed name and disguised as a traditional dancer. Only 17 years old when he fled his country, he was granted political asylum in the United States.<ref name="State Department">[http://pages.prodigy.net/jkess3/State1999.htm "1999 Report on Human Rights"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013093301/http://pages.prodigy.net/jkess3/State1999.htm |date=2008-10-13 }}. Retrieved June 24, 2009.</ref>

==Education and life in the United States==

Once he arrived in the United States, Weeks enrolled and completed his final year of high school at Glasgow High School in Newark, Delaware. He then enrolled at Northfield Mount Hermon School in Northfield, MA, where he completed a post-graduate program. In 2001, he enrolled at Amherst College in Massachusetts and received a BA in Political Science and History in 2005. In 2008, he received his master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania and was subsequently awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Amherst College in 2012.<ref>[http://www.kimmieweeks.com: "Kimmie Weeks biography"], 2007.</ref>

==Youth Action International==

While at Amherst College, Weeks founded Youth Action International (YAI).<ref name=A />

==Recognition and awards==

thumb|Weeks on the red carpet at the 2007 Brick Awards, the same night he won the Golden Brick Award.Weeks remains a vocal advocate for children's rights around the world. His annual speaking tour reaches more than 40,000 people. He has also won the MLK Peace Medal, the 1998 Goodwill Games Medal for heroism in the face of adversity, and the 2007 Golden Brick Award.<ref name="Deleware News Journal">[http://www.dosomething.org/files/Images/News/Delewareonline_Kimmie_4_13_07_doc.pdf "Activist from Del. Honored"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080706192854/http://www.dosomething.org/files/Images/News/Delewareonline_Kimmie_4_13_07_doc.pdf |date=2008-07-06 }}. Retrieved June 24, 2009.</ref><ref>[http://www.wise-qatar.org/kimmie-weeks "Dr Kimmie Weeks"], WISE Summit, Qatar Foundation.</ref>

On July 26, 2007, the President of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf awarded Weeks the Humane Order of African Redemption during programs marking Liberia's 160th Anniversary in Grand Bassa County, Liberia.<ref name=A />

By Presidential request, Weeks also served as National Orator for programs marking Liberia's Independence Day Celebration. He spoke on the topic "Liberia at 160: Reclaiming the Future". The 30-minute speech, which was hailed by local newspapers as "one of the most powerful and moving speeches in Liberian history".

In 2007, his photo and bio appeared on 20 million bags of Doritos.<ref>Brown, Robin: "Young activist to be on snack bags", ''News Journal'' Newspaper, 2007.</ref> Weeks is the subject of a major photo exhibit, the book ''Peace in our Lifetime'', and many smaller publications.

In 2008 and 2009, he received the Liberia National Excellence Award, and the Wangari Mathai Global Citizenship Award.<ref>[http://allafrica.com/stories/200905050762.html "Kimmie Weeks for major international recognition"], ''The Informer'' (Monrovia), May 5, 2009. Reprinted at AllAfrica. Retrieved June 24, 2009.</ref>

In 2011, Amherst College conferred an honorary doctorate degree on Weeks, making him the youngest person in the school's history to receive an honorary degree.<ref>[http://allafrica.com/stories/201105260842.html "Kimmie Weeks receives honorary doctorate degree"], ''The Informer'' (Monrovia), May 24, 2011. Reprinted at AllAfricaRetrieved November 14, 2011.</ref>

==Current==

In late 2022, Kimmie Weeks served as Executive Director of Youth Action International.<ref>[https://frontpageafricaonline.com/news/liberia-kimmie-weeks-honored-internationally/ Front Page Africa Online website, ''Liberia: Kimmie Weeks Honoured Internationally'', article dated September 29, 2022]</ref> The organization provides education, health care and economic empowerment for children and youth in post-war African countries. Youth Action International has impacted more than one million lives since 2005.<ref>[https://www.youthactioninternational.org YAI website, retrieved November 26, 2024]</ref> Weeks is also a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council and a member of the Young Global Leaders Program. Weeks also serves in a part-time capacity as Chief Corporate Communications Strategist for Liberia second largest GSM company called Cellcom; he stepped down in 2016.<ref>[https://allafrica.com/stories/201609011093.html All Africa website, ''Liberia: Kimmie Weeks Resigns From Cellcom'', article published in the Daily Observer dated September 1, 2016]</ref> In 2012, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf appointed Weeks as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation. The primary immediate task of the corporation is to provide safe drinking piped water to more than 800,000 Liberians in the capital for the first time since 1990. By late 2024 he was no longer on the Board of Directors.<ref>[https://lwsc.gov.lr/board-of-directors/ Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation website, ''Board of Directors'', retrieved November 26, 2024]</ref>

==References== {{reflist|30em}}

==External links== * [https://www.kimmieweeks.com/ Kimmie Weeks official website] * [https://www.youthactioninternational.org/ Youth Action International website] * [https://www.youtube.com/user/weeks4kids Youth Action International Youtube channel] * [http://www.4Real.com/profile.asp?p=kimmie 4Real TV Series] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707064826/http://www.4real.com/profile.asp?p=kimmie |date=2011-07-07 }} * [http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200805200790.html Kimmie Weeks calls US Attention to Food Crisis] * [https://archive.today/20130201080936/http://www.record-eagle.com/features/local_story_017100212.html Man With a Mission: Visitor to share African dreams, nightmares] * [http://www/news.sl/drwebsite/publish/printer_20052761.shtml British and American Team arrived in Sierra Leone to assess creation of Women Centre]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}  * [https://www.independent.com/news/2007/nov/01/liberian-activist-kimmie-weeks-discusses-african-a/ Kimmie Weeks discusses aid]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weeks, Kimmie}} Category:1981 births Category:Living people Category:Liberian expatriates in the United States Category:Amherst College alumni Category:Children's rights activists Category:Liberian activists Category:Northfield Mount Hermon School alumni Category:People from Monrovia Category:Americo-Liberian people Category:People of Americo-Liberian descent Category:Liberian refugees Category:Glasgow High School (Delaware) alumni