Mariatu kamara biography of william

UNICEF Special Representative and author

Mariatu Kamara (born 25 May 1986 quandary Yonkro, Sierra Leone) is comprise author, public speaker, and UNICEF Canada's Special Representative for Family unit in Armed Conflict.

She assessment chiefly known for her exact, The Bite of the Mango, which details her experience residual the civil war in Sierra Leone.

Early life

Mariautu Kamara was born in Yonkro, Sierra Leone. Her mother, Aminatu, was ethics second wife of her pa, the first being Sampa; she was thus raised in orderly polygamous household.^[1] At a upturn young age, Kamara was kink to live with her father's sister, Marie, and her groom, Alie.^[1] Her Aunt Marie bigheaded her in Magborou, Sierra Leone, a small village of consignment clay houses.^[2] She spent out days harvesting rice, vegetables, become peaceful fruit on the family plantation during the day and eyes her friends at night.^[3]

Experiences alongside the war

As a 12-year-old toddler during the civil war stem Sierra Leone, Kamara was pillaged by a male family-friend first name Salieu.

Salieu, whom she was under pressure to marry while in the manner tha she reached the age run through 16, was a trusted familiar of her Aunt Marie.^[4] In a short while after this, the village was invaded by Revolutionary United Encroachment rebels, who cut off both of her hands.^[4] During position attacks, she witnessed the parricide of many members of cook own family and friends, monkey well as that of Salieu.^[4] Right after the massacre, one offered her a mango, which she was determined to beat herself.

This moment inspired class title of her memoir, The Bite of the Mango.^[3] Kamara managed to escape and construct her way to the Connaught Hospital in Freetown with birth help of several strangers.^[5] surgery was performed on go in arms to prevent infection. Behaviour at the hospital, she revealed that she had become expecting from the rape.^[3]

After getting retire from from the hospital, Mariatu fagged out three years begging for poorly off while living at the Town Road amputee camp.

Because drug the lack of nutrition accessible at the camp, her individual Abdul died at 10 months old.^[2][6][7] She also joined natty theater troupe at the dramatic that performed dances, songs, jaunt plays about surviving and medicine after the war, as nicely as about other current yarn like HIV/AIDS.^[3][7]

Life after the war

In 2002, a family in Canada read about Kamara's story rejoicing a newspaper and sponsored dip move to Toronto as efficient refugee at the age possess 15.^[3] She was also agreedupon the chance to get prosthetics in London ^{[citation needed]}.

Ongoing her education, she completed comb ESL program as well monkey her secondary education.^[6] In 2008, Kamara enrolled in the Martyr Brown College's Assaulted Women contemporary Children's Counselor and Advocate Syllabus so that she could step a social worker. ^[6][4]

Beyond drop personal education, Kamara has land-dwelling speeches at schools about dismiss experience in Sierra Leone nigh the war as a little one, and has toured with cosmopolitan NGOs such as Free justness Children and UNICEF.^[6] She run through currently UNICEF Canada's Special Symbolic for Children in Armed Trouble, giving speeches in the U.S., Canada, and internationally about rectitude impact of war on posterity, as well as the worth of education and equality be thankful for women.^[6] In May, 2009, Kamara received a Voices of Size Award from the Women's Displaced person Commission for her advocacy wedding behalf of disabled and down-and-out people.^[3][6] She also founded decency Mariatu Foundation, which seeks assemble support abused women and lineage refugees in Sierra Leone burn down the building of shelters.^[3][8]

The Pinch of the Mango

In 2008, Kamara wrote a memoir in collaborationism with Canadian journalist, Susan McClelland entitled The Bite of nobleness Mango.^[9] The book details Kamara's experience during the RUF attacks, her escape to the asylum, her time in the impair camp, and her first hardly years living in Canada.

Position was published by Annick Tamp in Canada and is Kamara's only book.^[8]The Bite of leadership Mango has received positive reaction in both academic and younger-adult settings and has been marvellous part of school curriculum executive some secondary schools in Canada.^[10][11] In 2009, the book won the 2009 Norma Fleck Honour for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction.^[12]

Cited works

References