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Read moreColombian Child Soldiers
Background - Problem Statement
Most of the child soldiers in our program were recruited into one of the guerrilla groups around the ages of 12 or 13, but some entered even earlier. On average these children have been part of the Colombian armed conflict for about three years, while some have been there for longer periods of time. Many of the children were recruited from rural areas such as small villages in the Andes mountain range and remote zones in the jungles, and they have had very little schooling prior to entering. They typically received no education whatsoever during the time they were part of the conflict. Generally, most are now unable to return to their villages for security reasons. Most of the children have been indoctrinated in the ways of irregular warfare at a very tender age, and as a result have a range of emotional and psychological issues. Many of Colombia’s child soldiers who have joined the peace process – now called “desmovilizados”, “desvinculados” or “reinsertados” -- have been separated (abandoned in some instances) by their families. Although these children have been part of the violence, these children are victims of the country’s conflict.
Project Overview
We are sponsoring a rehabilitation and reeducation program for Colombian child soldiers participating in the country’s historic peace process. The children in the program are between the ages of 12 and 17 and were previously recruited, trained and forced to serve with armed guerrilla groups (FARC, ELN, others). All have demobilized, mostly after escaping from the FARC, and are entered into the nation’s peace and reconciliation process.
As part of this project, these children reside full time in a carefully supervised dormitory run by the Salesian Order which operates as an official facility for former child soldiers under the Colombian government. At this facility, the children receive basic education (in some instances accelerated); vocational and technical training in various disciplines such as mechanics and woodworking; psychological counseling and spiritual guidance; opportunities to participate in recreational activities for the purposes of improving socialization skills; and organized family reintegration, where possible.
Developing Minds Foundation is supporting this project by creating a library, establishing a computer room and organizing retreats led by spiritual, psychological and educational leaders. The intent is to support child soldiers in this program, as well as those to follow, by helping to reinsert them into the education system, to foster literacy and vocational skills, and offer psychological counseling. The selection of educational materials has been carefully developed and revised by project coordinators working closely with the school system so that it is tailored to their needs.
Solution
The project houses up to 30 children at any one time and provides room, board, education and general recreation for them. The organization has a trained staff that oversees their rehabilitation. While the project offers a comprehensive support structure, these children still have a lot of free time on their hands during which they have few options to occupy themselves. As such, we are also establishing a library and computer room within the living facilities. By offering these types of facilities, our expectation is that they will develop literacy and technology skills that will be useful as they prepare for social reintegration.