War in Sierra Lone

After reading the articles about child soldiers and reading Ishmael's story, I feel really bad for not only Ishmael and the people in the articles but for all of the men, women and children stuck in similar situations. There are many organizations and charities for people who are starving, and diseases and peace in the Middle East, but I was not aware of the severity of the violence in Sierra Lone until I read A Long Way Gone. The people over there are going through just as hard of a time as the people in other parts of the world who we hear about everyday. Why are we not aware of what is happening? Why did I know so little about this war but so much about other wars? I think that one of the reasons Ishmael wrote this book is to raise awareness of the violence and suffering occurring in Sierra Lone.