Sierra Leone gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1961 and was declared a republic ten years later. A bloody civil war began in the West African country in 1991, when the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF), backed by Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), attempted to overthrow the Joseph Momoh government. When the conflict, which claimed over 50,000 lives, ended 11 years later, an international tribunal was established to prosecute various war crimes committed by both sides.
 

The war set the stage for countless crimes against humanity and human rights violations: violence, mutilation, rape and the enslavement of children. But one native of Sierra Leone, Edmund Kaszibuloh Koroma, showed thousands of people that lending a hand to those in need can save and change lives. 

Before the war began Edmund taught at local schools and served as chairman of the Makeni Catholic community. “This cause has been my dream for a long time. Together with some colleagues we formed a community-based organization called Working for Peace, trying to raise awareness among young people so they participate and contribute to development programs in their communities,” Edmund says. Koroma also worked with school children predisposed toward violence and partook in the creation of the Catholic Young Men Association. 

Stolen childhoods 

The rebels forcefully recruited thousands of children as soldiers during the war. The girls were forced to marry rebel commanders or other combatants, and many became sex slaves. 

Witnessing the atrocities, Koroma could not stand idly by and opened a school and interim care center in the city of Makeni on rebel-controlled territory. 

During a relatively calm period, he convinced the rebel forces to let children attend the school and live there. 

“The school was established to help former child soldiers whose education had been derailed and who were neglected by the NGOs that were only active in times of peace. There was no follow up on their behalf and many children took to the streets. As an organization, we took great risks to protect them,” says Edmund.

In 2000 the calm period ended and RUF once again sought out children to reinforce its troops. 

The kids who had restarted school were going to be sent back to the battlefield. Having assessed the situation Koroma came to the concussion that the only way to keep the children safe would be to evacuate them from rebel-controlled territory. 

He would have to put his own life on the line and defy the rebel forces by taking their “soldiers” and “wives” to government-controlled land. 

The odyssey began in the wee morning hours. The children quietly departed on a five-day-long journey to Freetown, the country's capital controlled by the government. Many of them barefoot, they hid in the jungle for days on end to avoid being discovered by the rebel forces. Eventually, they encountered a group of rebels who stole their few belongings and threatened to abduct 17 of the stronger boys. Those who did not cooperate would be killed. 

Held at gunpoint, Koroma tried to negotiate. After hours of escalating tension he managed to convince the rebels to release the group, on condition that the rebels would keep a 15-year-old boy who had previously spent several years in their troops. Many tears were shed when the boys parted ways, but the remainder of the group finally made it to safety in Freetown. 

Transformative education

After the war Edmund continued his work with former child soldiers. Many of them had been orphaned by the conflict, others suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and some were expelled from their communities and ostracized by their families and neighbors, especially the girls and young women. Many of them had been raped, bore children and had formed part of the rebel ranks. They were no longer welcomed by Sierra Leone’s conservative society, perceived as having been “used” by the rebels and thus not suitable for marriage. 

Koroma established the Tan Sri Alagendra school in Makeni to teach these children to walk a path of righteousness despite the trauma they had experienced. At the time of its creation, the school taught 86 former child soldiers and seven victims of polio. Today, there are more than 157 students and 12 volunteer teachers. 

His selfless actions have made Edmund Koroma the guardian angel of many of Sierra Leone’s children. “I don't really know how I got to do what I do. I grew up with it and I do it even without realizing, it comes naturally. As part of my contribution to the common good and to my society, I feel happy to follow this cause,” Edmund says.

Thirteen years after the war ended the children have grown up and now lead better lives. Some of them teach at the school, others are involved in trade and many work with different civil society groups. 

Ironically, many former RUF rebels are also in school today, taught by the children they had once commanded.

“The civilian population needs education to forgive those people and it can be very helpful to employ those in need, especially those who were victims,” Koroma believes.  

On behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and in gratitude to their saviors, the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity will be granted annually to an individual whose actions have had an exceptional impact on preserving human life and advancing humanitarian causes. The Aurora Prize Laureate will be honored with a $100,000 grant. In addition, that individual will have the unique opportunity to continue the cycle of giving by selecting an organization that inspired their work to receive a $1,000,000 award. The inaugural Aurora Prize ceremony will take place in Yerevan, Armenia, on April 24, 2016.