Grace recognized many of them from her village. The troops grouped her with other girls her age. At the rebels’ camp, Grace was separated from her mom. The men who kidnapped Grace and her family were part of a rebel group fighting against the government. She knew that if she didn’t, she might be killed. She was terrified, especially when she had to hit grown-ups. They were tied to trees and beaten with sticks by kids-including Grace. People who refused the training faced brutal punishment. New recruits had to march in step, swinging their arms in perfect time. In the afternoons, she was trained for war. Grace’s mother spent mornings cooking for the rebel soldiers. At night, she took shelter with the other girls in a round hut that they’d built themselves. If she didn’t move quickly, she was beaten. She struggled to carry the heavy loads back to camp. Grace recognized many of them from her village-a small comfort.įrom then on, Grace spent her days stealing supplies from villages, fetching water, and gathering firewood. At their camp, Grace was separated from her mom. Grace had heard stories of sons and daughters being dragged away from their parents by armed troops. That is how they knew that soldiers on both sides were forcing civilians, even kids, to fight. So they depended on word of mouth for news of the war. Grace’s family had no electricity in their small mud-and-grass hut. And on weekends, she joined her mother on the roadside to sell vegetables. She helped look after her 4-year-old sister. Grace’s dad had long ago left home to fight.Ĭhaos was swirling around her. Two years later, the rebels were still clashing with government troops. It started in 2013, when rebel forces tried to overthrow the president. A bloody civil war had been raging in the central African country. But already her life in South Sudan had been ripped apart by violence. Alarmed, the villagers whispered the warnings from person to person. They had taken shelter at a farm nearby on the day the war finally caught up with them. They would hide in the wilderness or a different village. Whenever the whispers came, Grace and her family would pack up and flee. That’s how they knew that soldiers on both sides were forcing civilians-even kids-to fight. With no electricity-much less a TV, radio, or phone-in their small mud-and-grass hut, the family depended on word of mouth for news of the war. Grace’s dad had long ago left home to fight.ĭespite the chaos swirling around her, Grace kept attending school. It started in 2013, when rebel forces attempted to overthrow the president. They came in the form of whispers, passed with alarm from one villager to another.