My parents never had an opportunity to obtain primary or secondary education due to extreme poverty. Neither my father nor my mother has ever seen or stepped inside the rectangular walls of a classroom. Dad died – well, was murdered by rebels during Liberia’s 14-year civil war when I was only 5 years old. Without a formal education, dad understood and recognized that  education was a sure way of breaking the vicious cycle of poverty that has plagued his family for generations.

His short-lived life was dedicated towards educating my siblings and cousins, though the roots of poverty had long cemented in our family. His meager income as a driver was used to feed the entire family as well as pay school fees to ensure that my siblings were given a shot at obtaining quality education. At the time of his death, my eldest sister was in 11th grade, but she and all other seized to attend school after he was killed. Things became so difficult that death seemed to be the only liberating option for my mother, aunts, uncles, siblings and everyone in my family.  We had lost all hopes and the world seemed to have turned against us. Many days, I recalled family members wondering whether we had offended God.

I also wondered if it was possible for a child to have a dream in my slum community – West Point. One day, at the tender age of nine (9), while sitting with my mother, I randomly asked whether I too was going to be a driver like dad someday. Mom, astonished by my question, starred at the horizon of the Atlantic Ocean as the sun set and vowed to spend all her little earning so that I could go to school. I saw tears rolled down her cheeks as she embraced me. She believed and was optimistic that since I was the youngest in the family, I would be focused and dedicated to becoming a better person for myself, my family and country. So I enrolled in the only government school in West Point, the N. V. Massaquoi Public School. In her eyes, I was the family’s hero. Her faith in me surpasses anything I can ever imagine. Most times, she would remind me of our family’s conditions.

Mom has been my strength, inspiration, and the single thread which keeps me going. In 2016, I became the first high school graduate in my entire lineage, in over four generations. A year after, my brother who is 3 years my senior, also graduated. At the moment, we have younger siblings – cousins, nieces – who are in elementary and junior levels. A repetition of “firsts”, I am also the first-generation college student in my family.

My improbable journey to college enrollment has been one of determination and perseverance. I must say that previous attempts to apply to universities, during my last two visits to the US to speak at events, proved futile. In September of 2017, Organize For Liberia (OFL), Inc. invited me to the United States so that I could work on my college application. Upon accepting the invitation, I was flown to the United States.

Though I harbored little self-doubt, however, I mustered the courage between October 2017 and January 2018, and submitted applications to five schools – Amherst College, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, Harvard, and Yale Universities. Each of those applications would, perhaps, take more than two days to complete. And then, there are tests to write (SAT), school scores to report – finally, recommendations from high school counselors and teachers.

In late March, I received five admission decisions. Having assessed all and in consultation with my family and friends, I have selected Yale to be my home for the coming years. People often say college is the place most suitable for fun, meeting new friends and making lasting connections. If this is so, then I wish to experience all these in the geometric walls of Yale.

ABOUT ABRAHAM

Abraham M. Keita is a nineteen (19) year old Liberian youth activist working with Organize For Liberia (OFL), Inc. who is slowly changing his country and inspiring activists around the world. Abraham fights for justice for children who are victims of violence. Over the past ten (10) years, despite a childhood filled with violence, war, and poverty, Keita has led demonstrations, lobbied the Liberian Government, and spoken out against violence against children. In spite of his young age, Keita’s activism has already had major impact, resulting in a public recognition where he was honored as the winner of the 2015 International Children’s Peace Prize – one of the top international prizes for peace activists.

Born in the midst of the Liberian civil war and raised by a single mother in the slums of Monrovia -West Point, Keita is the first in four generations of his family to have completed high school. At age 5, his father was killed by rebels while driving for a charity organization distributing food to internally displaced persons in Liberia. This left Keita and his family without a provider and life became unimaginably hard as they struggled to eke out a living. Although his path has been a hard one, Abraham Keita has shown resiliency and courage in the face of overwhelming poverty and pervasive violence. He has been recognized by one of his most famous peers Malala Yousafzai, who congratulated him on his victories and acknowledged his International Peace Prize. One day, Keita hopes to meet Malala in person. In the meantime, he keeps advocating for children’s rights around the world and dreaming of a better future for all of them.

ABRAHAM’s IMPACT

In 2007, then 9 years old Keita heard about the rape and strangling to death by her foster parents, of a 13-year old girl in his community. It was an event that disturbed him, to the point that he felt the need to stand up and do something. Abraham led a peaceful protest to ensure that the foster parents of the girl was brought to justice. From that moment, Keita felt the need to continue to speak up for the rights of children. Due to Keita’s persistent activism, in 2012 Liberia became one of the first African nations to pass legislation protecting children rights, the Children’s Law.

He has arranged peaceful demonstrations, organized petitions, and lobbied for children’s participation and education to be funded directly from the national budget. Thanks in part to Keita’s aggressive activism, Liberia’s former president, H.E. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf issued an apology for the death of a 15-year old boy who was shot and killed by the government troops in 2014 while participating in a peaceful protest. The shooting sparked outrage throughout the community and Keita decided to channel that outrage into effective action. He organized and led another peaceful demonstration of young people, demanding that the government take responsibility for the death.  A national debate soon swept the throughout the country, and popular support began to build in favor of the young activist.

In 2017, Keita again led a peaceful protest demanding the investigation of a sitting representative who was alleged to have raped and impregnated a 13-year old girl in Liberia. As a result of Keita passionate and aggressive activism, the representative was subsequently arrested and taken into custody by the Liberian National Police. The representative subsequently stepped down and is currently facing the justice system in Liberia.  Keita continues to work hard to reduce child violence and create more opportunities for the poor. He is also lobbying for free, quality primary and secondary education for all. In addition, since launching his campaign, he has become a role model to thousands of children throughout the globe.

Despite his rough and challenging childhood, he rose above his circumstances to emerge as a young man of courage, honor and integrity. As an uncompromising advocate of children’s rights and safety, he is committed to a cause that will have a major impact on future generations to come.