Denis is 21. Toen hij negen was werd zijn dorp aangevallen door de rebellen. Zijn vader was een belangrijk figuur in het dorp en was daarom een doelwit voor de rebellen. Denis wist met zijn vader te ontsnappen naar de bush, maar ze konden niet aan de rebellen ontkomen. Denis’ vader werd voor zijn ogen doodgeslagen en Denis zelf werd door de rebellen meegenomen naar hun kamp. Hij werd korte tijd getraind en kreeg een machete om te vechten. Hij verbleef voornamelijk in de bush,

waar het bijzonder moeilijk was om aan voedsel te komen. Soms at hij dagen achter elkaar niet, of at hij kleine bessen die zijn maag irriteerden. Soms at hij zand of aarde, om zijn maag te vullen. Na twee jaar wist hij te ontsnappen en keerde hij terug naar huis. Hij kon bij zijn oma wonen, waar hij nu nog steeds verblijft. Zijn oma is echter oud, en de huishoudelijke klussen komen voornamelijk op Denis’ schouders terecht. Bovendien kan zijn oma hem niet helpen zijn schoolgeld op te hoesten. Daarom doet Denis klusssen voor families in de buurt, van tuinieren tot water halen.

Klussen die voor hem extra zwaar zijn, omdat hij tijdens de oorlog zwaar gewond raakte aan zijn been en geen medische verzorging heeft gekregen. Volgend jaar doet hij eindexamen en daarna wil hij een beroepsopleiding gaan volgen. Omdat Denis zeer moeilijk loopt en bovendien nog steeds erg veel pijn aan zijn been heeft, hopen we ook geld bij elkaar te kunnen halen om hem door een dokter na te laten kijken.

In zijn eigen woorden:

"It was on the 27th of March 1991 when the war started at the eastern part of Sierra Leone, close to the Liberian border at a village in Kailahum. District where the first bomb was dropped. Before the war my father was a dispenser and my mother was a trader. My father was having a shop filled with different types of drugs and my mother was travelling from town to town buying and selling goods. At that time my life was much more better. Everything was comfortable with me. We were having a beautiful and complex house in town and I  was attending one of the best private school in my town. We were not suffering for anything that was been asked for at school. We are the first to go with it. We did not know what was hardship or even walk on foot for 50 meters without a bicycle and our father was one of the top ranking in the town. Proper care was given to us.

We did not know how to go to the street in search of food for our family. Everything was provided for us. We were brought up not to beg friends. W did not know how to handle a cutlass for cultivation of a farm. We were living independent life before the devilish act of our Sierra Leoneans brother, because of bad ruling of some political parties in government during that time and they want to overthrow the government for they.

During the war the rebels entered in out own town, at that time, the rest of our family were not in town on that day. They went to and damage the shop filled of drugs and removed all the drugs and money in it. They also went to the house and took some of the assent or property in the house at that same time. During the time this event took place, the rest of our family were in the bush. We took five days in he bush until the rebels returned back in the town. My father and mother felt discourage when they set eyes on the shop and houses.

One week later the rebels finally attacked us in the town. At that time my father was popular in the town. The rebels were just asking for him. First me and my father balance the rebels and wanted in the bush on the way to another town. The rebels captured me and my father. The asked my father for money. He told them that there is no money with he the rebels started beat my father until he get death. That gave me the cause to join the rebels when I thought about my fathers death. I was with them when we fought the war sometime and I decided to escape from them and went to my village. During that time I don’t know my mother way about. I was with my grandmother. Three years later a friend of my father sent me back to school. During the time I entered secondary school one or form one my father friend  death.

After the war me and my grandmother came to town. But my grandmother was very old. She could not afford school fees to sent me to school. But one day I sat down and I think about my father. So I decidedto fnd a job with in the town. I used to make beds for people, search water for people, carry something for people from one place to another. Just for me to have my school fees and money for me to purchase my school items. So please I need your help by assisting me in my education problem."

Lees de brief:
1, 2, 3, 4