Ishmael+Beah


 * Ishmael Beah**
 * By Sam Bero**


 * [[image:Unknown-1.jpeg width="209" height="285"]] Ishmael Beah was born on November 23rd, 1980 in Sierra Leone. In 1991 a civil war took over his home, Sierra Leone. Ishmael went without the basic needs of everyday living including food and water. In search for food and water he came across the military which provided him food and shelter. The downside to that was for two years Ishmael was forced into becoming a child soldier starting at the age of thirteen. To get through the war, Ismael relied on drugs to muster the courage to kill others for his own survival. “The combination of these drugs made us fierce. The idea of death didn’t cross my mind, and killing had become as easy as drinking water” (Beah). Ishmael and other soldiers mixed cocaine and gunpowder to get through their rough days in war. Without the drugs, he might have never gotten through the war. **

After fighting in the war for almost three years, Ishmael was finally rescued by UNICEF. He was put into a rehabilitation center to recover from his traumatic encounters throughout the war. Ishmael returned to Sierra Leone and reunited with his uncle. He returned to school and became active in spreading peace. He went to the “Young Voice” conference held at the United Nations. Not long after Ishmael had to flee from his home again because of the rising violence within Sierra Leone.

A year later, in 1997, Ishmael journeyed to New York City in which a woman named Laura Simms adopted him. Ishmael was 17 at the time. Ishmael made a new life for himself in a positive manner. He graduated from Oberlin with a bachelors degree in political science. From there, he has become an active member of the Human Rights Watch Children’s Rights Division Advisory Committee; he has also spoken before the United Nations. Each of Ishmael’s focus is on advocating peace not only in Sierra Leone, but in countries around the world. “That reason was to fight for peace so that the tragedy that befell me would not continue to affect the lives of other children in my country and around the world” (When Good…). Ishmael now looks at his past as a positive way to change his country. He has strived to advocate peace and he has done that in the achievements and works he has accomplished.

Beah, Ishmael. "The Making, and Unmaking, of a Child Soldier." //The New York Times//. 14 Jan. 2007. Web. 7 Feb. 2011. .
 * Works Cited**

Beah, Ishmael. "When Good Comes From Bad, by Ishmael Beah, August 2000." //Nuclear Age Peace Foundation//. Aug. 2008. Web. 08 Feb. 2011. .

"Ishmael Beah." // Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia //. 24 Dec. 2010. Web. 08 Feb. 2011. .