Matthew Fred is a Humanitarian and Human Rights Journalist who had for three (3)  years been working with over 5,000 young people helping to end conflict by creating awareness on Tribalism, which he delineates as the animosities and discriminations caused by tribal groups among each other that creates social, economic, physical, emotional, and religious sabotage within the African Society; of which he believed is the number one caused to the underdevelopment, and never-ending conflict on the continent. With much passion of seeing Africans together as one people and bringing an end to intolerance on the continent despite of race, color, ethnic and religious backgrounds, Matthew founded the Youth Against Tribalism in Africa (YATIA), through which he is helping to settle tribal disputes and conflict related issues among rural villages that are mostly in the hinterland and other coastal communities where multi-tribal groups lived together. Inspired by his dream, some students of the Mackere University in Kampala, Uganda were able to establish the United Pearl of Africa (UPoA) with aim and objective to abolish tribalism from Uganda which they believed had contributed immensely to the long civil conflict in their country; and also being stirred by his vision the Anti-Tribalism Movement (ATM) based in London, a group headed by Adam Matam, a Somali Youth Activist to enforce their advocacy and awareness in Somalia. Under the “Integration  of Young People for Sustainable Peace Project”, Matthew, who is currently the President and Founder of the Youth Against Tribalism and Editor for the Bassa Times Newspaper, a local weekly established to target issues affecting rural dwellers, had volunteered for the UNICEF/ Action Aid International, Liberia as a youth peer educator facilitating peace building, Leadership, and Trust building training skills to over 1,500 youths and elders from 12 communities in Grand Bassa County, South Western Liberia. As a Human Rights Activist and Journalist, Matthew has volunteered with other community youth peace clubs and rural community youth groups through his Human Rights Journalism Career in collaboration with astute feminist and women Activist Etweda Cooper by working toward bringing a total ending of inhumane treatment of young girls under the ages of 10 that are being abused, through reporting Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), and Tribalism related and discriminating issues. He is a positive thinker, a motivator, and an activist who is skilled in Information Technology, Effective Public Speaking, and holds Certificates in Peace Building and Leadership Skills from Action Aid International Liberia in collaboration with UNICEF, a Human Rights Journalism Training from the Journalist for Human Rights, (JHR Canada, Liberia Chapter) in collaboration with the Liberia Media Center (LMC), and a Diploma in Computer Science from the Keytech Computer Solutions Institute in Liberia. As an active member of  the Peace and  Collaborative Development Network (PCDN), an online Community of Peace builders Matthew has also received a Certificate of Appreciation for participating in the 2011/2012 WASH Media Awards from the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council and the International Water Institute (SIWI) in Stockholm. 

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