Being a Commonwealth Citizen
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Case Study:
Giving a voice to Children affected by war
Ulric Quee from Sierra Leone was only nine when he was recruited, by force, as a child soldier.
"When my village was attacked by rebels, I lost my dad and mom and I was the only one left. What should I do and where must I go? I know nothing and I cried all night alone in this very dense forest. I was drinking at a stream then I was surrounded by tall huge men and the one yelled at me: "What are you doing here you small boy? You're a spy and I'm going to kill you now." With these words I started trembling and then he said: "Are you going to join us or choose to die?" Then I say :"Whatever you want to do with me I'm willing." Giving a voice to children affected by war Ulric became a soldier. He was given an AK 47 rifle and injected with cocaine to make him obedient and capable of killing.
Since he has escaped from his life as a soldier, still only a child, Ulric has been trained in ICT skills thanks to an organisation called iEARN whose mission statement is ' Connecting Youth ... Making a Difference'. It provides Internet access for young people for whom this has been difficult in the past, linking teachers and students in 100 countries worldwide. It alerts many people to issues that have been hidden before.
Ulric finishes by saying: 'My life in the jungle was very fierce. I was doing this, but it was not me that was doing all these things, but the drugs that were in me.'
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