Here was an average day, according to Sanan: “As a soldier, I had 24-hour sentry watches and was forced to keep alert. It was extremely rare if I didn’t have early morning training and long runs as well. The days were abusively hot, and I often scoured the hillsides many miles for firewood, split the wood, and worked the farms. The nights in the mountain winds were freezing. It was then that the reality of my life often hit me and I would lie awake and cry with no blanket and little hope. Many nights, the only thing that kept me going was the thought of my father getting free and coming to rescue me.”
Neso, one of the boys we had taken from the army a few years ago and had in our care, was forced to become a soldier again because of the intensifying conflict. This is Neso’s story in his own words: “Being a soldier was so difficult I had to run away…but almost died [...]
Han See Dei was just 10 years old, studying in his 5th grade class when a commander from the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) took him. “My parents could not pay the money they [the DKBA] asked for, and the teachers dared not say anything for me, so I had to become a soldier,” he said.
We’re proud to announce that we’ve recently launched our brand new website, store, and blog! With new child soldier rescue projects being pioneered both in our recent past and near future, we now have the capacity to adequately endorse and support them online. Take some time to explore!
There are currently 100,000 more Yahams in Myanmar alone. Rather than garden hoes, they carry AK-47s. It was the stories of children like her that demanded the birth of Project: AK-47. A kid or a killer? We can decide.
Enter your email address to get blog updates.
