Peace group helps prevent child soldiers

MANILA, Philippines - A Christian-Muslim advocacy group committed to help prevent child-soldiers from becoming full-blown terrorists and criminals will launch a series of education and literacy programs this summer amid the continuing spate of kidnappings in Mindanao.

The A-Book-Saya Group, decried the recent kidnapping of Filipino-Swiss national Charlie Reith in Zamboanga City saying that this only shows that kidnapping has become a purely “commercial and livelihood” venture for poverty-stricken people in Mindanao.

“No matter how many top leaders of the Abu Sayyaf are slain and captured, and the repeated call for a total war initiative, the problem of kidnapping continues unabated because it is now carried out by civilians who use children as young as 12 to spy on potential victims,” said ABSG administrator Armand Dean Nocum, who comes from Zamboanga City and is married to a Muslim.

This summer, ABSG plans to expose children to the Internet, hold book reading sessions, and put children and their parents through livelihood training seminars for them to augment their income.

“Things are turning for the worse. Reith’s kidnapping is a big wake-up call and a big challenge for us to never stop working to help poor children see that there is a peaceful and rewarding way of earning a living apart from kidnapping, terrorism and criminality,” said Nocum, a friend of Keith, 72.

“Once again, we are asking for generous souls to donate old books, computers, toys and educational materials to our cause so we can bring them to those who need them more. What is trash here to us to gold to children who have nothing in Mindanao,” Nocum said.

Donors can bring their goods to the Dean and Kings Legal Public Relations firm at Room 300 Kimvi Building Ma. Orosa St. Ermita Manila or you may call 353 84 82/ 339 37 32/0906 4401219 for inquiries.