Former Child Soldiers

Imagine you are ten years old. You are seated in the classroom and out of nowhere men with guns are entering the room forcing you to come with them. One day on the other your life changes: suddenly you are part of an armed group. You have no other choice than to work along with the rebels, and you are even forced to kill.

This is the heartbreaking reality for children growing up in the middle of the conflict in eastern Congo. The war is raging on for years now. Millions of people are displaced, and uncountable children are abducted. Children as young as seven years old are beaten, raped, and forced to use violence against their own families or communities. These young ones have seen, heard, and experienced horrific things, and are deeply traumatized.

In Goma there is a center of Exile International where war orphans (because of the war many children lose their parents or siblings) and former child soldiers are rehabilitated. I talked to these children and to the staff.

The devotion of the people who work tirelessly, risking their own lives, to provide a safe place for these children inspired me more than I can explain. In the center, children get a place to sleep, food, and medical care. Besides that, they finally have the chance to go to school, get the care they need, and the help to work through their trauma's.

I captured children reenacting their memories from the time that they were being forced to join the armed groups. It is one of the ways way children learn to process what they have been through. Children shared with me that they learned how to experience joy, how to make friends, and simply how to live life.

During the three days I was there I heard stories of unimaginable pain but also incredible resilience. In my photography, I focused on capturing the latter. I hope when people see those photos they realize that no matter what you have been through, there is hope and strength inside of you that no one can take away.