“My mother was against me joining the soldiers in our town. But when she was killed by the rebels, I had to do something. We also had no food, nothing to eat, but the soldiers always had more food. This is how I became a member of the soldiers” (Francis 7). Worldwide, there are approximately 300,000 children recruited as child soldiers (Hill 1). A third of this number of children fight and serve in the government army or in rebel groups in Africa (Hill 1). “According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, child soldiers are defined as all children engaged in hostilities under the age of 18. Although they are under the age of 18, the role of children in armed conflict is not limited due to their young age. Some children are fighting on the front lines of the fighting. Others perform manual labor, such as digging trenches, working in the kitchen, or transporting food, ammunition, or other supplies, often over long distances. Still others, mainly girls and adolescents, are reduced to becoming sexual servants for the military and rebel leaders” (Hill 1). War Child started in 1999 and is based in the United Kingdom. War Child's mission is to strengthen and improve the protection and livelihoods of children living in poor and uncertain environments. » This document will analyze, critique and propose improvements to improve the lives of child soldiers in Africa: providing social services and supports to ensure mental and physical health care of children, assisting in the reunification of former child soldiers with members of their families and by offering educational and professional programs for their reintegration into civil society. Child soldiers suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after participating in armed conflicts (Hill 1). For child soldiers at ...... middle of paper ......014, from http://www.warchild.org.uk/Angucia, M. (September 1, 2009). Children and war in Africa: the crisis continues in northern Uganda. (Report). International Journal of World Peace, 26, 95.Francis, DJ (2007). “Protection mechanisms on paper”: child soldiers and the international protection of children in conflict zones in Africa. The Journal of Modern African Studies, 45(02), 207. Hill, K. and Langholtz, H. (2003). Rehabilitation programs for African child soldiers. Peace Review, 15(3), 279-285. Stark, L., Boothby, N. and Ager, A. (2009). Children and fighting forces: 10 years after Cape Town. Disasters, 33(4), 522-547. Zack-Williams, T. (2006). Child soldiers in Sierra Leone and the problems of demobilization, rehabilitation and reintegration into society: some lessons for social workers in war-torn societies. The international review, 25(2), 119-128.