Who is Jutomue Doetein?

The name Jutomue comes from the kpelleh  vernacular  which means the Answer. His last name Doetein also comes from the kpelleh vernacular which means the sound of something when it falls. However, Doetein truly means the presence of something, when it appears, you feel it. 

Now, it's get to know more about this astute young Leader.

Jutomue Doetein is one of the youngest family planning youth Leaders and Influencers in Liberia, a professional Child Rights Advocate with about 9 years of experience working and advocating for vulnerable Adolescents and Youth in Liberia.

He’s currently the Advocacy Officer of a non-governmental women and children protection organization SHALOM-Liberia. While serving as Speaker of the Liberian Children’s Representative Forum in 2019, he and his team were strong advocate along with the Ministry of Gender and partners for the passage of the current Domestic violence Act. Over the years, Jutomue has provided consultancy to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Breakthrough Action Liberia sexual and reproductive health program as Youth Consultant, playing key advocacy roles. In 2017, as part of an advocacy endeavor for the children of Liberia, he was instrumental in campaigning for the prosecution of a sitting Liberian lawmaker (same as a member of Congress in the U.S.) for raping a 13- year old girl and subsequently impregnating her. While serving as Speaker of the Children’s Parliament, he led a series of peaceful demonstrations calling on the government to make a clear policy statement that protects the rights of children in Liberia which yielded positive results. In 2017, he also lobbied against the decision of the Liberian Senate to amend the rape law, making it a billable offense. His Team also called upon the Senate to make the court accessible and provide rape victims with proper medical attention and protection, a challenge not many child rights advocate would have taken for fear of severe repercussions.

In 2018, he launched a major campaign that educated more than 7,000 Children about their rights and responsibilities and subsequently represented the Children of Liberia the same year in Asia during the Primary Health Care Conference after that successful campaign. In 2020, Jutomue was accepted among over 600 youth around the world to represent Liberia as a YouthLead Ambassador with support from USAID. While serving as a YouthLead Ambassador, he led several campaigns on different Social Networks aim at changing the behaviors of young people through Facebook and other social platforms and this was a success. In 2021, Jutomue was nominated by the US Embassy near Monrovia to participate in the 2021 US International Leadership Visitors Program which lasted a month and improved his advocacy skills and increased his network.

As the result of his advocacy, 2018 he became a nominee of the International Children’s Peace Prize and won the Young Champions award in the same year for advocating consistently for the rights of children in Liberia. In the space of Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health, Jutomue Doetein is the Youth Focal Point/Youth Representative Family Planning 2030.

Currently, Jutomue is a winner of the 2022 International Conference on Family Planning Youth Trailblazer Award and the 2022 U.S. State Department’s International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) Impact Awards. 

Thanks for reading and if you are interested in working with Jutomue or want to build a professional relationship, you may contact him via email: jutomuedoetein@gmail.com