Samaritan's Purse is honoring a Liberian activist for rehabilitating girl soldiers in Africa.
Female soldiers are captured by rebels, forced into their military and often required to marry or serve as concubines to rebel officers. But Rosanna Schaack operates an organization called THINK, which reclaims the girls.
"We started out in 2003 running a rehabilitation home for child soldiers -- especially girls -- offering them basic literacy, vocational skills training, life skills, counseling," she shares. "And being a faith-based organization, we offer a lot of biblical counseling."
They also refer the girls to evangelical churches when they are returned to their families. But Schaack says the process is a difficult one that takes time.
"For the length of time that the civil crisis dragged on, these girls just did not have trust for anyone," she accounts. "They were used to being used by others. And the more crimes or the more horrific atrocities they committed, [the more] they got elevated."
Undoing all of that was difficult, but THINK's success demonstrates that all things are possible through Christ. More than 260 women have gone through the nine-month program.
Along with being honored by Samaritan's Purse, Schaack recently received the Human Rights Award from Vital Voices.