Our Leadership

YAI was founded and is headed by acclaimed Liberian activist and civil war survivor Dr. Kimmie Weeks.  Weeks experienced Liberia’s brutal civil war as a child and after several life threating situations dedicated his life to ensuring that children and young people do not experience extreme suffering as he did.

Kimmie Weeks started working for change as a teenager and when he was seventeen years old, he was forced to flee Liberia because of his advocacy against the use of children as soldiers. After being granted political asylum in the United States, Kimmie Weeks established YAI while he was a freshman at Amherst College.

Each country office is headed by a Country Director. The Country Director is responsible for the operations of YAI’s programs and activities on ground.  In Liberia, YAI’s Country Director is Ms. Beatrice Deputie and in Sierra Leone, YAI’s Country Director is Mr. Donald Kalokoh.  

YAI has dedicated staff and volunteers in the United States, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Uganda. Our people are at the core of our ability to make an impact in the places where we work. 

In order to ensure that a majority of donations go directly into program activities, Youth Action International is run by a very small team. Our model ensures that 90% of donation goes directly into the programs.  For every $1 donated, $0.90 goes into digital training for young people.