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Launched in 2000, The Child Soldier Project of iEarn Sierra Leone created a website for former child soldiers to share their stories. www.childsoldiers.org featured the essays, poems, artwork and voices of former child soldiers and offered an online forum. iEarn Sierra Leone visited schools, hospitals and camps, aired radio announcements and published newspaper articles to inform former child soldiers about the project. At the beginning of the program, participants were tutored in reading and writing, basic word processing and computer skills. When participants became comfortable with computer use they used the website to share their thoughts and experiences. Galleries of former child soldiers’ accounts, drawings and voices prompted support and solidarity from people around the world. Launched in 2000, the Child Soldier Project of the International Education and Resource Network in Sierra Leone (iEarn Sierra Leone) has created a web site on which former child soldiers can share their stories. The web site, http://www.iearnsierraleone.org/, features the essays, poems, artwork and voices of former child soldiers and offers an online forum for discussion.

iEarn Sierra Leone visits schools, hospitals and camps, airs radio announcements and publishs newspaper articles to inform former child soldiers about the project. Participants are tutored in reading and writing, basic word processing and computer skills. They also receive some trauma counseling from volunteer nurses and psychiatrists.

When participants become comfortable on a computer they use the web site to share their thoughts and experiences. Galleries of former child soldiers’ accounts, drawings and voices have prompted support and solidarity from people around the world. An interactive forum allows participants to discuss and debate with fellow former child soldiers and others. Participants build confidence and learn skills that make it easier for them to create a place for themselves in society. To date, over 200 former child soldiers have participated in the project.

This tactic uses the Internet to help a scattered group of victims share their stories and connect with each other, and could be used in other cases where victims of abuse are dispersed or in which targeted minorities (e.g. people with disabilities or gays and lesbians) cannot talk about their experiences as easily in their own communities. The Internet can create a safe space for these people to connect with others who will understand. It is not always possible, however, to guarantee anonymity or security of personal information on the Internet.

This tactic clearly requires an adequate technological infrastructure, but by succeeding in Sierra Leone, a war-ravaged country ranked one of the poorest in the world, iEarn has proven that this obstacle can be overcome.