Draft 1 - Language Arts

Intro:

To: The United Nations

Recently, my class has been reading about child soldiers and the horrendous things they go through. We have been asked the question "What should happen to them after the war." After a while of thinking, my answer was that children should be given proper treatment into becoming normal again. With that answer I spent time finding which organizations helped child soldiers with education the most, and the answer I got was Unicef.

Supporting Idea:

Raul, a young Congolese boy, was kidnapped by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and forced to commit horrendous acts. After returning to his home his aunt reports,“He is thinking too much about the past.” Raul is constantly reminded of the acts he committed, and finds it hard to sleep. When asked why he didn’t refuse he answered with, “I didn’t dare refuse, because a friend of mine who refused to kill was shot himself.” The things that young Raul had to see still haunt him. “If I don’t pray before going to bed, I dream of the LRA coming to kidnap me again,” he said.

Raul, just like many children, has faced a very traumatic experience. Their childhoods consist of gunshots and killing. No kid should have to go through that. Unicef and a co-ed organization have provided assistance for 1,570 children who were previously in armed forces or groups. 585 girls and 764 boys were assisted from LRA, including Raul. After they were demobilized they received medical and psycho-social therapy. To help them further they are quartered in Unicef sponsored families and give demobilization kits with shoes, hygiene articles and civilian clothes.  “I thank UNICEF for the care that my nephew received. I know that he is intelligent and can have a bright future,” says Raul’s aunt.

Conclusion:

Children all around the world are sometimes forcefully taken into militant groups and used for war. Some children are lucky enough to be helped by an organization like UNICEF and given the opportunity to get an education, a home, and a chance to be free again. All of this can’t happen if a non profit organization like UNICEF doesn’t have any funding. That is why I believe that the UN should continue to fund UNICEF. The amount of child soldiers that UNICEF helped is unbelievable, and I don’t think they can continue to help those helpless children without some type of funding.