gepubliceerd op 2009-04-24 00:00:00.0
Laura Roverts, a student of International Development Studies, has done a 3,5 months internship for iEARN Sierra Leone. This NGO (non-governmental organisation; an organisation that acts completely independent from the government) serves and rehabilitates youths who have suffered from war and effects of war. It connects youth in war-torn Africa to the world via internet and wants to make a difference by developing educational programs about movies, video, music, computer skills, women’s rights and sports.
‘During this internship I mainly worked with youngsters that were mutilated terribly, through loss of arms, legs, breasts or other parts of their body. It was shocking to hear what these children had gone through. A boy, aged 9, was forced to kill his family with an AK 47 assault rifle by the rebels; a girl was sexually abused by a soldier; another young woman saw the belly of her pregnant mother being cut open to see whether she was expecting a boy or a girl…
We can hardly imagine things like this, but for these youngsters it is stark reality. The civil war, which lasted for almost 11 years, was officially declared over in 2002. Nevertheless, the end of the war did not mean the end of its consequences.
Despite everything, the children and youngsters I got in touch with were all very positive. ‘We cannot forget the past, but we can forgive them’, they used to say. Together they do everything to keep a positive view about the future and live a life as normal as possible.
Besides getting in touch with the youths, I was also busy with producing a documentary within the movie and video department of iEARN. The documentary is about the differences between children connected to iEARN and children living on the street. The organisation is now using this documentary to get funding for their programs.
My internship was emotionally intense, considering all I have seen and heard about the Civil War of Sierra Leone. Movies like ‘Wit Licht’ and ‘Blood Diamond’ are not far from reality, so you can imagine how shocking some of the situations and stories sometimes were. Nevertheless, I had a wonderful time in Sierra Leone, a country in which I was welcomed with much hospitality. It is a time I will never forget.’
