their own to cope with a childhood lost and a level of trauma few can even begin to comprehend. These soldiers are above all else, simply children, who continue to suffer from the effects of the wars they have been forced to fight.
ANNU
Born in a War Zone
Annu woke to the sounds of gunfire. It wasnât unusual, and that was part of the tragedy of her life. War was all sheâd known. Since the time of her birth her country had been at civil war, and conflict was as much a part of her life as the hugs of her mother.
But today it seemed different. It wasnât just a few shots and it didnât seem to be stopping. In fact it was getting more frequent and, more frighteningly, louder and closer. She knew she had to act.
She rolled from her bedâthe bed she shared with her mother. She called out for her mother, but there was no answer. She was alone. She knew her mother could have gone to the market or was at the home of a friend or family member. While she was worried about being alone, it wasnât that unusual; Annu wasnât a baby, she was almost seven years old. She was old enough to know that she needed to seek cover, not run out to find her mother. Her mother would take shelter and she had to do the sameâbut where?
She tried to stop her heart from pounding so loud. She tried to slow her breathing and her thoughts. She needed to listen. She needed to think. She listened for the sounds of the gunfire. She had enough experience to know that it was guns or rifles, and not coming from a helicopter or aircraft. That was important. What type of gunfire determined where she should flee. If it was fire coming from the sky she would head to the bunker, the little covered trench behind her house; but if it was coming from the ground she had to get out of the house but avoid the bunker. It was hidden from the sky, but any soldiers walking along the ground would easily find itâand find her.
Annu knew she had to find a place to hide. For a few secondsshe stood there, frozen in place, thinking about her mother, hoping she was safe, but also thinking about where she needed to go to find safety as well. She realized that she couldnât help her mother, but there was somebody she could help. Lying in the corner of the small room, sleeping on an old blanket, was her cat, Kutti. Kutti wasnât very big. It was just a gray-and-white ball of fur, but she loved Annu and Annu loved her cat. She grabbed Kutti in her arms and ran outside.
Annu on her 5th birthday
.
Annuâs house was small. Her parents had planned to make a bigger house, but then the war broke out. There wasnât any point in building something that might be destroyed or damaged one day. A larger house would have to wait until there was peace. Theyâd been waiting a long time.
The property itself wasnât much bigger than the house. It was rocky rough ground, and they couldnât plant crops. Only the Palmyra trees grew. It was the leaves of these trees that formed the roof of their house and the fence that surrounded the property. Among the trees was a gigantic haystack. Her grandparents, who lived just a few houses away, had left the stack there tofeed their livestock. This was the place Annu would hide.
Annu and her first cousins. Annu sits in the middle wearing a pink dress. Six of her cousins now live in Canada, the rest are in India, London, England, and Sri Lanka (Colombo)
.
She made her way to the haystack, Kutti in her arms. The haystack sat closer to the road than her home, but she hoped it would be safe. Any soldiers walking down her drive would go to the house and then to the bunker to search.
As she walked she stroked the cat and quietly talked to it. Maybe she was trying to reassure Kutti. Probably she was trying to reassure herself. The gunfire got louder and louder. Whoever was out there was waging a battle. She knew on one side would be members of the Tamil Tigers and on the other either government troops
ANNU
Born in a War Zone
Annu woke to the sounds of gunfire. It wasnât unusual, and that was part of the tragedy of her life. War was all sheâd known. Since the time of her birth her country had been at civil war, and conflict was as much a part of her life as the hugs of her mother.
But today it seemed different. It wasnât just a few shots and it didnât seem to be stopping. In fact it was getting more frequent and, more frighteningly, louder and closer. She knew she had to act.
She rolled from her bedâthe bed she shared with her mother. She called out for her mother, but there was no answer. She was alone. She knew her mother could have gone to the market or was at the home of a friend or family member. While she was worried about being alone, it wasnât that unusual; Annu wasnât a baby, she was almost seven years old. She was old enough to know that she needed to seek cover, not run out to find her mother. Her mother would take shelter and she had to do the sameâbut where?
She tried to stop her heart from pounding so loud. She tried to slow her breathing and her thoughts. She needed to listen. She needed to think. She listened for the sounds of the gunfire. She had enough experience to know that it was guns or rifles, and not coming from a helicopter or aircraft. That was important. What type of gunfire determined where she should flee. If it was fire coming from the sky she would head to the bunker, the little covered trench behind her house; but if it was coming from the ground she had to get out of the house but avoid the bunker. It was hidden from the sky, but any soldiers walking along the ground would easily find itâand find her.
Annu knew she had to find a place to hide. For a few secondsshe stood there, frozen in place, thinking about her mother, hoping she was safe, but also thinking about where she needed to go to find safety as well. She realized that she couldnât help her mother, but there was somebody she could help. Lying in the corner of the small room, sleeping on an old blanket, was her cat, Kutti. Kutti wasnât very big. It was just a gray-and-white ball of fur, but she loved Annu and Annu loved her cat. She grabbed Kutti in her arms and ran outside.
Annu on her 5th birthday
.
Annuâs house was small. Her parents had planned to make a bigger house, but then the war broke out. There wasnât any point in building something that might be destroyed or damaged one day. A larger house would have to wait until there was peace. Theyâd been waiting a long time.
The property itself wasnât much bigger than the house. It was rocky rough ground, and they couldnât plant crops. Only the Palmyra trees grew. It was the leaves of these trees that formed the roof of their house and the fence that surrounded the property. Among the trees was a gigantic haystack. Her grandparents, who lived just a few houses away, had left the stack there tofeed their livestock. This was the place Annu would hide.
Annu and her first cousins. Annu sits in the middle wearing a pink dress. Six of her cousins now live in Canada, the rest are in India, London, England, and Sri Lanka (Colombo)
.
She made her way to the haystack, Kutti in her arms. The haystack sat closer to the road than her home, but she hoped it would be safe. Any soldiers walking down her drive would go to the house and then to the bunker to search.
As she walked she stroked the cat and quietly talked to it. Maybe she was trying to reassure Kutti. Probably she was trying to reassure herself. The gunfire got louder and louder. Whoever was out there was waging a battle. She knew on one side would be members of the Tamil Tigers and on the other either government troops
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