Back into school in Liberia: “my future will be bright”

Sophia was one of thousands of children forcibly recruited into rebel groups when armed fighters arrived in her village during the most recent of Liberia’s civil wars.

“They shot people and burned down our houses. My father was killed and my mother and brothers ran away. I was captured and carried into the bush, where I stayed for a month and two weeks.”

During her six weeks with the group she was sexually abused, leaving her deeply traumatised. She was just 13.

Sophia was caught escaping once. But she eventually managed to get away and, after walking through the bush for three days, she was reunited with her mother.

Though at first she lived in fear that the fighters would find her again, she managed to resume her education through an accelerated learning programme supported by Save the Children.

By being able to finish her primary schooling in three years instead of six, Sophia hopes to move forward with her life and carry on into further education, where she plans to support herself with her tailoring skills and work towards her dream of becoming a journalist.

“All of that is behind me now – I feel like it happened to another person. I’ve just tried to cut that part of my past out of my life."

“I want to become the child that I was before the war. I think that my future will be bright and I keep looking forward to it. Going to school is helping me a lot on the way.”

Thousands of former child soldiers are now catching up on their education through accelerated learning programmes supported by Save the Children.

We’re also working to ensure children are better protected and are involved in making decisions in Liberian schools by setting up children’s clubs across the country. We’re also promoting children’s rights in schools.

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