Matthias Seisay

Matthias Seisay, a native of Sierra Leone, has dedicated his life to building global relationships and educating the world about the mistreatment of children in his country. Fueled by passion and determination, Matthias has held positions in many organizations that fight for the rights of abused children in Sierra Leone. His quest for social justice often compromised his personal safety in his home country.

In summer of 2000, Matthias worked as an intern for the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva, Switzerland. Within the program, he was involved in research and program planning, aimed at strengthening advocacy at national and regional levels; contributing to the development of information on the work of national and regional coalitions; and to the work of thematic subgroups and other forums within the NGO Group. As founder and national coordinator of Defence for Children International-Sierra Leone (DCI-SL) from 1998 to 2001, he promoted and monitored the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and campaigned against the use of children in combat, providing free counseling and medical facilities for child prostitutes. DCI-SL is currently the leading pro-bono legal service provider for child offenders and victims of human rights abuses in Sierra Leone. Matthias worked as a public relations officer for the Sierra Leone Special Court Working Group, where he educated the public about the necessity of prosecuting individuals who “bear the greatest responsibility” for human rights abuses. During the war in Sierra Leone (1991–2002), Matthias became a program liaison for the Child Rights Information Network (CRIN) researching, tracking and updating information about child abuses in Sierra Leone. He set up a network with other member organizations to exchange and create ideas for implementing solutions to child abuse globally. He also worked as a program advocate for the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers.

Matthias is a widely sought-after-speaker, and has represented Sierra Leone at many conferences. He represented Sierra Leone at the Non Governmental Organization (NGO) African Regional conference against the use of child soldiers in Africa — and was a signatory to the 1999 Maputo (Mozambique) Declaration against the use of child soldiers; led a delegation of demobilized child soldiers to the May 1999 Global Hague Appeal for Peace Conference in the Netherlands. He also presented a case for the Sierra Leonean children at the “Children and Religion at a Crossroads” Conference in Nazareth, Israel in fall of 1999.

Matthias holds an Associates Degree in Cultural Anthropology from Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone. He taught briefly at the Prince of Wales School in Freetown, until December of 1998 when he founded the Sierra Leone section of Defence for Children International. From June 1997 to April 1998 he was a volunteer teacher at Kaalia Refugee Camp in the Republic of Guinea, where he initially fled as a refugee during the soldier-rebel “Armed Forces Revolutionary Council” regime in Sierra Leone. Since then, Matthias made it his life’s work to become the voice of the Sierra Leonean children who suffer daily.

In 2001, Matthias moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Even though his home is now half way around the world, his fight for the children of Sierra Leone continues. He has been heavily involved in the Milwaukee community, educating Milwaukeeans about the abuse of children in Sierra Leone. He volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, and sits on the Parish Council at Saint Margaret Mary Parish, located in Milwaukee. He was a recipient of the Desmond Tutu Emerging Leader Award in 2003 “for exhibiting leadership and acting for peace, reconciliation and restorative justice”. He served as president of the Marquette University’s African Student Association (MarqASA) in 2003. In 2006, Matthias graduated with a Bachelors degree from Marquette University, and he is currently an MBA candidate at Ottawa University in Wisconsin. In continuation of his desire to improve the lives of young people, Matthias currently works for the Private Industry Council in Milwaukee as “Step-Up Coordinator”, working with high school students to achieve their greatest potential and empowering them to be successful in their entry into the workforce. Matthias knows there is much more that needs to be done in life. His non-profit organization, Seisay Foundation, Inc. is just another stepping-stone in his fight for social justice in Sierra Leone. Matthias, a citizen of the world, remains a voice for the children of Sierra Leone. He spends his quiet times listenening to National Public Radio (NPR), or some reggae music; and he watches “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” almost religiously.

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