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Growing up, Quanuequanei lived comfortably in Sugar Hill, attended a prestigious private day school, and spent much of his time exploring the tropical community with his best friend, Boye. Mango trees lined the roads of Sugar Hill with their fruit hanging low enough for even little Q to pick them while walking down the street, and many weekends were spent sitting in their shade playing games. His mother and father were entrepreneurs in the truest form: Neyor Karmue owned her own pharmacy, and Fungbeh farmed rubber trees in the neighboring village of Garmu. To the Karmues, life in Sugar Hill was paradise.

Then, on September 9th, 1990, rebel leader Charles Taylor overthrew the Liberian government with the public execution of President Samuel Doe. Chaos ensued; men and women were killed indiscriminately on the streets and in their homes. Children were often forced to witness the the rape and execution of their parents, and the trauma that this caused fueled their sorrow and hatred turning even 8 year olds into soldiers on the rebel army. Even places like Sugar Hill became war grounds.

Through his perspective as an 8 year old boy, Q recounts checkpoints, killing fields, and massacres. Memories of mango trees and milk candy were replaced with the ceaseless echoing of gunfire. This is a story of perseverance and hope and finding the best in people during the worst of times. 

QUANUQUANEI
​(Q) KARMUE

Q is more than just an author, he is an artist, activist, and the Executive Director & Co-Founder of Save More Kids. The work of Save More Kids is directly inspired by Q’s experiences during the Liberian Civil War. After escaping to the US through the strength and fortitude of his mother, Q adapted to American life, completed an undergraduate degree from Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD), and a Masters of Fine Arts Degree at East Tennessee State University (ETSU).
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As an adult, Q returned to Liberia to help his mother fulfill her promise to God of adopting orphaned children who were victims of the war’s violence. Renewed with a sense of purpose and a mission greater than himself, Q and his wife, Wendy, formed Save More Kids, to provide resources and create opportunities for the forgotten children of post-war Liberia. 

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TESTIMONIES

(click on each image to watch the videos!)

"I love the friendships, I love the family, I love the environment... [Quanei] has dispelled the stereotypes that we've seen on TV about what Africa is."
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-Enaj Leotaud

"I felt as though I was living the experience and I felt as though the family became apart as my life."


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-Stephanie Murain

"To endure such tremendous hardship and not know from moment to moment wether you would live through this experience or not."
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-Deborah Lindholm

"[Witness] was very compelling, and horrifying in many ways and hopeful in many ways, too."
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-Karen Stoneburner

Liberia, 2018

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