Project

Scars and Stripes: Liberian Youth After the War

During the 14-year civil war that tore apart Liberia, children were taken from their homes and sent to fight in an adult war. When the fighting ended in 2003 the Liberian government began trying to demobilize the youth, offering cash and counseling programs aimed at rehabilitating the young people and preparing them to return to their communities. Sometimes they were sent back to their villages. Other times they stayed with their commanders and fellow fighters.

The "lucky ones" were sent to the U.S. to live with relatives, many of them ending up in the Clifton neighborhood in Staten Island — home to one of the largest Liberian populations in the country. Rehabilitation programs in Liberia not only provide skills training for the youth to try to help them earn a living, but also reunite them with their families.

Every day is a struggle as the wars in Guinea and the Ivory Coast rage on and the youth learn they can make more money by fighting as mercenaries in those wars than by turning in their guns to the government. In Staten Island, the situation is similar: The youth are given a cash stipend, short term counseling and schooling. But in the end they are left to make their own way adjusting to life in America and oftentimes getting caught up in a life of poverty and crime. Reporter Ruthie Ackerman and photographer Andre Lambertson will travel from Staten Island to Liberia over the course of several weeks to examine the process of reintegrating — and ultimately rehabilitating — the youth on both sides of the ocean.

We Could Have Died For Less...

Peter and Jion are two young men who are friends today but were former child soldiers who fought on opposing forces during the civil war. Jion lost his left leg, while Peter lost his right arm.

The Eyes And Ears of Liberia

Most of the Liberian youth in Staten Island haven't been back to Liberia since they fled during the war. And all are curious as to what the country looks like now.

In Jail They Just Call Him Tucker

Kenje, a Liberian living in the U.S., was arrested for drug possession. Now, spending time in jail, Kenje says he doesn't want to be a drug dealer, but it's the easiest way to make some fast cash.

Apartment 4 O

Apartment 4 O is the center of life for many of the youth in Park Hill, where young men smoke, drink and share stories of their lives in the U.S. — and sometimes Liberia.