Lucy Lamble talks to Sandra Olsson from Child Soldiers International, who works with girls formerly caught up in armed groups in Democratic Republic of the Congo as they struggle to settle back in their communities

After studying in Gothenburg and Ghana’s Cape Coast, Sandra Olsson worked for Unicef before joining Child Soldiers International and researching the lives of girl soldiers in eastern DRC. Often used as ‘wives’ and sexually abused by other soldiers, many former girl soldiers are shunned by family and friends when they are released or escape. The girls spoke of their strong wish to go back to school and CSI now runs a programme to help them return to education, despite the stigma they face.