Effects of the Civil War
Between 1991 and 2002, various armed groups fought each other in order to gain control of the country. As a result, over two million people had to flee their homes. Without a stable government, the country fell into chaos and many of the things that we take for granted, such as schools, transport, medical care and even food supplies were lost.
Perhaps the most shocking fact about the civil war was the widespread use of child soldiers. During the conflict, thousands of children, many of whom would have been the same age as pupils from our own school, were involved with armed groups. Drugged and forced to fight, these children endured experiences too horrific for us to imagine. Many of these ex-child soldiers are to be found in the schools today. They often react differently in school than other children and for some, drug addiction is still a problem. |
Children often have to walk a long way to get to school. |
Schools were taken over by rebels and resources were destroyed. |
Classes are oversized and have children of mixed ages. |