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Southern Africa as a region has the highest HIV positive rates in the world. Nearly 40% of Botswana’s population is HIV positive; Zimbabwe and Swaziland rates hover just under 30%. Angola’s HIV rate, still relatively low for Southern Africa, is rising; South Africa, Namibia and Mozambique suffer from double-digit rates. In DRC, where the rate may be under 10%, some sectors are four times higher, including in regions where conflict takes place, and among soldiers. AIDS has orphaned 800,000 – 900,000 children in DRC. Many of these children are far more vulnerable and more likely to wind up as child soldiers, having no parental protection from recruitment and having no means of support.

Finally, child soldiering and the conditions of conflict damage culture and a positive African identity. If we believe Cheikh Anta Diop’s admonitions that it is essential to restore Africa’s distorted place in world history and reclaim a positive African identity in order to break the psychological shackles of colonialism and restore a positive sense of self and community, child soldiering further damages the psyche, setting back the task of restoring the whole person. Children should identify with the greatness of African history and culture, not with killing, raping and maiming African people, looting property and burning down houses. It is possible that soldiers in general and child soldiers in particular never journey far from the role handed out by the colonial masters – as a force to terrorize, mutilate and murder an innocent civilian society. The restoration of children forced into soldiering should include the reclamation of a positive identity.

Throughout Africa, there are increasing numbers of options and opportunities for former child soldiers and children affected by conflict. These include programs and projects run by government ministries such as in Mozambique, international agencies such as UNICEF, church groups, NGOs such as World Vision and Save the Children, and grassroots organizations that are providing services and support to former child soldiers, children affected by conflict and their communities. These services are being provided in refugee and IDP camps, within institutional programs and at the community and grassroots levels.

That said, the supply of restorative services simply does not meet the demand. With hundreds of thousands of former child soldiers in Africa, with new and ongoing wars continuing to abduct and recruit more children into conflict, and with the lack of capacity of many grassroots organizations serving former child soldiers, most children and youth who need services go without. In 2003, UNICEF almost closed down an important program in Sierra Leone providing educational and job training services to over two thousand former child soldiers due to lack of funding. Smaller organizations face the same challenges – lack of funding and support – and grassroots organizations, those closest to the minds and culture of former child soldiers need capacity and organizational development.

Within the many needs of African society, the failure to provide full and proper rehabilitation and restoration services to former child soldiers is among the most glaring. Within this challenge is the good news: there have been major advances and successes working with former child soldiers. More has been learned – especially around combining traditional and non-traditional techniques - and these learning experiences are resulting in more consistently successful rehabilitation of children and youth when the resources and programs are there. In addition, the increased consciousness and awareness of the needs of former child soldiers in Africa is growing in many sectors. This heightened awareness needs to be coupled with increased support.

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