Fernando Moleres

Abdul Sesay (right) does homework with his friend Michael. Both live in the St Michael Centre originally set up to help former child soldiers reintegrate into society. Sesay is in 5th grade in primary school. His schooling is funded by the Free Minor Africa rehabilitation programme. Most of the other pupils in his class are much younger than him. 5 years before this image was taken, Sesay had been an inmate at Pademba prison in Freetown. He was accused of having a portable radio that belonged to another man. The man hit him very hard which caused subsequent breathing problems for Abdul. He was arrested and remained at the police station for eight days before being sentenced and sent to jail. He was released in October 2010 after a journalist paid 320,000 leones (EUR 60, or a prison official's wages for two months) distributed between the bail, the prosecutor and the money for the granter. [The second part of this photographic project was made possible with funds which Fernando Moleres received from the Tim Hetherington Grant in 2012]