VARLEE SHERRIF

Computer Science Major,

Foothill College, CA

 

Varlee Sheriff barely escaped forcible recruitment as a child soldier during Liberia’s civil war.  When he was just eight years old, Varlee fled his village and became one of the country’s tens of thousands of child war refugees.  Separated from his family and community after the war, Varlee moved to the everyday gandhis peacebuilding compound where he joined former child soldiers in an innovative grassroots peacebuilder training program in Voinjama, Liberia.  Here, Varlee found support and camaraderie in a shared mission for peace.  Varlee’s healing journey was profiled in the documentary feature film THE FIGHT TO FORGIVE.

 

Storytelling and photography were profound peacemaking and trauma healing tools in the peacebuilder training program. Here, Varlee studied photography with award-winning photojournalist Andre Lambertson.  Varlee discovered his natural gift for photography and produced a beautiful body of photographic reflections of Liberian post-conflict life.

 

Today, Varlee is an academically successful scholarship student at Foothill College in northern California.  A Communications major and committed grassroots peacebuilder, Varlee travels with THE FIGHT TO FORGIVE Educational Outreach Campaign and leads inspirational discussions about the lessons he learned on his remarkable journey.   Varlee is a Future Guardian of Peace and is determined to use his education to help rebuild post-conflict Liberia.  To support Varlee’s education fund please make a tax free donation here.