Kimmie Weeks

Our hero is Kimmie Weeks, who spends his life helping the world as a human rights activist. Born in Liberia in 1981, Kimmie Weeks endured unimaginable suffering when he was as little as nine years old during the civil war in Liberia. Day by day, Kimmie would see his loved ones die from diseases and starvation. At the age of ten, Kimmie himself was beginning to feel frail, his fellow inmates dug a grave for him; “There was a point during the war where I nearly died from the sickness and disease and going without food... and that night, I was 10 years old; I made the commitment to God that if I survived the camp, if I survived the war that I would work the rest of my life to make sure that no child would live in the conditions that I lived in, without food or water.”

This vow was taken by Kimmie Weeks at age 10, when he was diagnosed with Cholera because of the poverty during the Liberian Civil War (African Success: Biography of Kimmie WEEKS). Cholera is a disease caused by Vibrio Cholera, and is a communicable disease. It is extremely dangerous because death can occur within hours of infection (Cholera: EMedicine Infectious Diseases). He did not try to get treated by a doctor, and herbs were only medicines acquirable to him. One day, his guardian felt no pulse in him, so he pronounced that Kimmie was dead. The doctor and the villagers decided to bury him, but his mother couldn’t endure the news of her son’s death, and began pounding him hard until he became conscious again (African Success: Biography of Kimmie WEEKS). At the age of 13, Kimmie fulfilled his promise by starting Liberia’s first child rights advocacy and humanitarian organization run by young people: Voice of the Future, Inc. Followed by the Children's Disarmament Campaign whose goal is to disarm the weaponries from the 15,000 children throughout the country (How Stuff Works).

Kimmie Weeks hosted many more programs which benefited the lives of the children in Liberia. However, in 1998, Kimmie published a report regarding the immoral recruiting of children as soldiers which threatened his life (Biography). Kimmie knew the lives of many children were depending on him, therefore, Kimmie did not allow himself to be arrested and fled to the U.S. with a false identity (The My Hero Project - Kimmie Weeks). While there, Kimmie shared the lives of the Liberians and sought help from the U.S. political leaders. But Kimmie didn’t stop here. In 2002, Kimmie hosted the Youth Action International Program. The objective of this program is to provide schools and orphanages not only in Liberia, but also in other countries in need, such as Uganda (The My Hero Project).

In 2007, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf gave Kimmie Weeks the role of Knight Grand Commander in the Humane Order of African Redemption (Biography). Also, he was given the Golden Brick Award for people under 25 years old who are attempting to change the world we live in for the better (Biography). Kimmie Weeks got his bachelors from Amherst College and his masters from the University of Pennsylvania (Biography). Presently, he serves as Executive Director of Youth Action International and on the Board of Directors of DoSomething. He is also a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council.

Kimmie is a perfect example of a hero. His willingness to risk his own life for another at such a young age is truly precious and unique. The torturing and the horrors he faced were nothing for him, as he continued to withstand the difficulties for the sake of the Liberians and the other people in need. Kimmie is indeed a courageous and reliable hero.

Bibliography

"African Success : Biography of Kimmie WEEKS." African Success : People Changing the Face of Africa. Bush Architecture, 1 Sept. 2009. Web. 09 Mar. 2010. http://www.africansuccess.org/visuFiche.php?id=675⟨=en

"Biography." Kimmie Weeks - Biography. Ed. David J. Ross. Web. 09 Mar. 2010. http://www.kimmieweeks.com/index.php

Chandler, Hazel. Kimmie Weeks Tour of Refugee Camps. 2005. Photograph. Internet, Sierra Leone. SGI Quarterly. SGI, Oct. 2009. Web. 9 Mar. 2010. http://www.sgiquarterly.org/feature2009Oct-2.html

"Cholera: EMedicine Infectious Diseases." EMedicine - Medical Reference. 26 Feb. 2010. Web. 09 Mar. 2010. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/214911-overview

"HowStuffWorks "BRICK Award Winner: Kimmie Weeks"" HowStuffWorks - Learn How Everything Works! Web. 09 Mar. 2010. http://www.howstuffworks.com/do-something-brick-awards-winner-kimmie-weeks.htm

Kimmie Weeks Accepts Brick Award. Dir. Kimmie Weeks. Perf. Kimmie Weeks. YouTube. 11 May 2007. Web. 9 Mar. 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoJGeENIdhY

"The My Hero Project - Kimmie Weeks." The MY HERO Project. Web. 09 Mar. 2010. http://www.myhero.com/go/hero.asp?hero=Kimmie_Weeks_Brick07