Watta Kamara (L)
© AFP/File Zoom Dosso VONJAMA, Liberia (AFP) - "I was 17 when they took me by force," Watta said, before adding with a blush that her role in the militia consisted of being "assigned to the commander".
Her ordeal began in 2002, and might well have continued even longer had the country's civil war -- which killed a quarter of a million and left the country in economic ruin -- not ended the following year.
United Nations forces in Liberia still number some 15,000, making it one of the world body's most expensive peacekeeping operations. Under that umbrella, the likes of UNICEF (UN Children's Fund) and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are proving a powerful force for changing the lives of individual victims.
Soon after formal hostilities ended, Watta was taken under the wing of a UNICEF psychologist, and given her choice of professional career training.
The organisation runs a resettlement programme, carving out meaningful new lives for the war's female victims, many of whom were raped or conscripted as child soldiers, or both.
Assata, a Liberian girl
© AFP/File Zoom Dosso"After disarmament, we were offered training by the Liberian NGO Action for Greater Harvest (AGRHA) and UNICEF. I chose hairdressing, and now I have my own salon," Watta said with a smile. Pointing to the other girls working for her, she added: "There are six of us here, and each of us has been through the training programme."
Sonnie Kollie and Lusu Sannoh, two deaf and dumb girls aged 18 and 17, experienced the same horrors during Liberia's 14 years of civil war (1989-2003). They chose to retrain as bakers.
"Thanks to AGRHA and UNICEF, we are important members of our society," the duo said in sign language.
"We had lost hope, but they have given it back to us," they added.
Assata Kamara, 16, was conscripted at the tender age of nine. Among the many dangers she faced was carrying live munitions.
"Fighters forced me to carry their grenades on my head. We spent three years out in the bush, and often we'd go three whole days without eating," she recalled.
The UNICEF regional director for West Africa, Esther Guluma (C), visits a bakery in Vonjama
© AFP/File Zoom DossoAssata has learnt the dressmaking business and now works for herself, with her only regret that she is now "too old to go to school".
When their training ends, these women are not abandoned by UNICEF. The organisation continues to offer help in the running of their businesses, particularly with financial management. Already, 213 young women have benefited from this programme.
"What we have here is a wonderful opportunity for these young people to become independent and to stand on their own two feet," said a delighted Esther Guluma, UNICEF's regional director for west and central Africa. "This is a great example of a successful venture for youth employment.
"We will continue to give support to these girls so that they won't be vulnerable to sexual abuse," Guluma underlined. "Earning their own money will allow them to resist early (arranged) marriage and other forms of cultural practices that can prove so detrimental to their lives," she added.
©AFP