Global Assembly Dialog

Thomas is a young motivated Liberian youth with a positive attitude, dedicating his fruitful time in working as a volunteer with diverse youth communities in his country to help efforts in fighting Poverty and ignorance through participation and skill development initiatives.

He is presently National Focal Point for Global Youth Coalition against HIV/AIDS-GYCA for Liberia 2008 - 2009.

Co-Facilitator/Trainer for the Creating Local Connections West Africa (CLCWA)-Liberia Project and the Coordinator for his organization’s Programs, The African Child Peace Initiative (ACPI)-Liberia and Represents Africa Youth for Peace and Development (www.aypad.org) in Liberia, with its headquarters in Freetown.

He understands that governing the secret of human existence is an inescapable quest and duty one should perform, given the numerous challenges face with young people especially with the high rate of poverty and also unemployment amongst them.

In the shortest past, Thomas traveled around West African corridors, mainly lived on refugee camps for the past 6 years. After his long stay in the Ivory Coast, he traveled back home march, 2000 for assessment for possible return and reintegration. His dream was not met due to continue insecurity during the Taylor regime. Thomas travel back and continue on to Ghana also due to the ongoing political stands in the Ivory coast 2001-2002.

While in Ghana, he grew interest in working for humanity as a youth involving in child and youth developments and founded the Children Empowerment Organization (CEO) in 2004, which had lobbied for educational support for disadvantage and unaccompanied children.

Thomas’s decision to involve into humanitarian affairs was hugely implicated from his past personal experiences through a war zone as a child, that moved him towards a tireless effort for humanity. He contributed immensely to peace, and conflict resolution and youth development activities both in Ghana and now back home. With his profession as IT – Professional, Thomas believed, that he also, had something to contribute to the nation’s youth development.

As a growing desire, seen total calm to conflict and a process of operation sweeping wave as declare by Ellen led government for national development, he have decided to return home in July 2006 to contribute to his brother’s effort which have led to the construction of a Multi-purpose Youth Center in one war-affected community, Caldwell, once use as a military base by one warlord, Prince Johnson.

The goal of the Caldwell Youth Peace-Building Center is to enhance the life skills of youth and their caregivers as to improve their living conditions and their capacity for building a peaceful future for themselves and for Liberia.

As a determination to overcome the many challenges face with young people through positive, empowering actions, He has been working on intended projects for the youth center in both ICT & Entrepreneurship and HIV/Aids educations for the youth, which is intended to make young boys and girls self reliance, be employed maintain good health to foster the development of their motherland Liberia and beyond.

Recently, after a 4 weeks course with GYCA in political advocacy with HIV/AIDS, in June 2008, in July Thomas made an experiential travel to Uganda, one of the hardest hit nation in Africa with the Aids epidemic, to work alone with the Aids Support Organization of Uganda – TASO-Uganda, (www.tasouganda.org), both learning from their 21 years organizational strategic and also gaining a thought of experience on how HIV/AIDs have been managed over the years there.

He is more inspired by his recent engagement with Takingitglobal-CLCWA-Liberia which he consider the greatest opportunity to be able to share his idea with his peers in order to promote the used of ICT &Entrepreneurship skills to solving problems and connecting with others in the region and worldwide.