Mariautu Kamara was born and raised in the small village of Magborou in the year 1986 in the West African country of Sierra Leone. She is the daughter of Sampa and Aminatu, although at a very young age, she was sent to live with her aunt Marie and her husband, Alie.
As a 12-year-old child during the civil war in Sierra Leone, she had both her hands cut off by rebels who invaded her village. She made her way to the Connaught Hospital in Freetown (along the way she was helped by several strangers), where surgery was performed on her arms to prevent infection. She later gave birth to a son whom she named Abdul.
The child became sick and then died about ten months after birth.
After being released from the hospital, Mariatu spent many years begging for money while living at the crowded Aberdeen Amputee Camp. She also became part of a theater group at the camp, and along with many other amputees her age, was able to raise awareness of her country"s problems by performing and dancing.
She was then given the chance to get prosthetics and was sent to London. Thanks to a United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund sponsorship, she was able to move to Canada where she has toured with Free the Children and United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund to promote equal rights as well as education.
The Bite of the Mango written with Susan McClelland, Foreword by Ishmael Beah.(2008), Annick Press.
