soldiers

**Child Soldiers of Sierra Leone**
This website gives information on the terrible subject of the child soldiers in Sierra Leone. Because of internal war, children have been forced to join rebel forces and kill human life. Many child soldiers were forced to also take drugs which in a way, "brainwashed" them, causing in some cases, severe mental problems. Measures such as rehabilitation are given to children to help them cope with immense emotional and physical abuse. Life in Sierra Leone, the aftermath of the civil war, is still extremely poverty-stricken. Children are without food, family, and ultimately compassion. Many people do not realize how much help these child soldiers need. In his book //A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier//, Ishmael Beah recounts his life as a child soldier in Sierra Leone.

Child soldiers in general can be grouped into the genre of "marginalized children" because they have problems which cause people to think a certain way about them as a whole.

Child soldiers in general can be grouped into the genre of "marginalized children" because they have problems which cause people to reject them in today’s society. Many people do not understand what these child soldiers had to and still got through each day. Most have been kidnapped or forcefully taken from their families, homes, and towns or have no other choice but to live in poverty without a home in the first place. Many people are scared of these children because they remember the danger involved in the child soldiers’ pasts. Through researching the subject of child soldiers in Sierra Leone and reading //A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier//, I can truthfully say that I learned a great deal of terrible information which never filled my mind before. This experience has been extremely worth while, causing me to realize how lucky I am to live in, for the most part, a safe environment. If you are interested in helping these poor children, contact a local outreach program which participates in African affairs.

**Video on Child Soldiers**
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Children's Christian Fund - http://www.christianchildrensfund.org/sponsortoday/default.aspx?moken=ioj83ffa
 * Links to websites that will show you how to get involved:**

**A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier ( we contributed on Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Long_Way_Gone**
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah gives a detailed account of Ishmael Beah’s early life. A native to the small African country of Sierra Leone, Ishmael’s world suddenly comes to a halt when rebels attack his hometown of Mattru Jong. The autobiography recounts his younger years as he runs from the rebels and sees countless innocent Africans slaughtered. He loses his entire family in the war. One day, he and his runaway friends are captured, and Ishmael is forced to kill—or be killed.

Although severely emotionally abused, Ishmael recovered from his traumatic journey of survival through months of rehabilitation. Today a successful writer in New York, Ishmael Beah is an inspiration to families threatened by war worldwide.

-A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/104-8795491-8161501?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=a+long+way+gone
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More Links to Web Sites on Child Soldiers in Sierra Leone
http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/crp/index.htm http://www.teachers.tv/video/17953 http://www.child-soldiers.org/regions/country.html?id=191 http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol15no3/153chil3.htm

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/allinthemind/stories/2007/1812727.htm#transcript http://www.nutsie.com/melodeo/browse_feeds/get_episode/60905 http://www.podcast.net/show/52974
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