Liberated child soldiers in south sudan accept help, world vision

In the shadow of mango trees, small groups of boys sit at blue steel tables. Dominoes are spread out, cards shuffled and placed. Games unfold. There is talk of a revenge on yesterday’s football game in the evening; they are joking about that, who will win.

A little over a month ago this scene could not be imagined. Many of the teenagers now sitting in front of me were still connected to armed groups who, in one way or another, got into the conflict in the South Sudan were involved. "We spent the days in the bush carrying weapons and worrying when the enemies would come," says 17-year-old Alex *. He is happy that his time as Child soldiers is over now.

In February, 311 boys and girls were officially released in South Sudan. Since then, the majority of young people have been able to return to their families, and World Vision social workers visit them there to help them return to normal Life to facilitate. Those teenagers who had lost sight of their families were placed in the care of an intermediate station. There, World Vision social workers also take care of them while the search for families and foster families is ongoing. Alex says: “Life here is much better than in the bush. Here we can just play and eat. We feel safe here. "

“At first, the young people were closed and reserved, they needed time,” reports Christine Asiazo, one of the World Vision social workers. "But now they are open, friendly and free to deal with each other. Some can share with us their experiences they have never told anyone before. They accept help, consider the social workers as friends. "

However, there is still a lot to do.

About a quarter of children and adolescents suffer from depression and other mental or social problems. "They think back to what happened in the bush. They witnessed the killing, lost contact with their families, were forced to do so many bad things. It hit her hard, ”says Christine.

World Vision is working with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to help teenagers with suicidal thoughts. The cooperation enables comprehensive advice from a trained psychologist.

Angelo has been taking care of the more than 40 boys who have been in the social center since the night of their arrival. He reports on the challenges: “These boys have different backgrounds, different experiences from their time in the bush and they are teenagers. They make decisions very quickly and we had to end fights between them. In the beginning there are always challenges, but now it is getting better. We have seen how their behavior has changed and we expect it, that it is developed even more positively in a month that they will adapt better. "

The teenagers would like to look ahead, say the social workers. Alex confirms this for himself: "I am now at peace – I want to be a school boy." In order not to disappoint such hopes, the aid program is not only looking for families, but also for opportunities for education and job training. Alex wants to become President of South Sudan. “The first thing I would do is bring peace and education for all children. These two things are the most important. "

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