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Refugees International (RI), a US non-governmental organisation, recommended on Wednesday that the international community expand its efforts to rehabilitate schools in Sierra Leone so that war-affected children can be enrolled and be given a chance to relearn community values.
In a report following a visit to Sierra Leone by two RI field representatives, the organisation said the international community had fallen short in its support for the children, especially child soldiers.
“Education allows children to regain a sense of normalcy in their lives,” RI reported. It said that the increased number of demobilised child soldiers had strained the responsive capacity of child protection agencies, which accommodate them in interim care centres for up to six weeks pending reunification with their families.
“In all, as many as 10,000 children have been directly involved in the conflict and will require special assistance if the situation in Sierra Leone is to normalise,” the organisation reported.
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