Abstract

In many countries at war, prevailing social conditions – street violence, extreme poverty, the absence of support
structures – increase the likelihood of children being recruited into armed forces or armed groups. Children who are
without their parents, as a result of death or displacement, are more vulnerable than those living with their families,
and at greater risk of recruitment into armed forces or armed groups. Cut off from a familiar environment, they are
often full of uncertainty, about their future and the whereabouts of their loved ones. In these circumstances, joining
armed forces or armed groups may be one way of acquiring some sort of protection and social status; it may also be
the only means of survival. Some children may join an armed group to fight for a cause or to be among their peers.
Others are forcibly abducted from their families. Thus the purpose of the study was to assess the effect of Health
service interventions on re-integration of ex-combatant children in Haute-Kotto Prefecture of the Central African
Republic (CAR). The study employed a descriptive survey design. Data were collected through questionnaires and
interviews from 101 respondents. The study indicated that the value of health services affects protection of excombatant
children in Haute-Kotto prefecture by 1.4%, the effect was low and significant. The study concluded that
health services of social organization development can enhance the development and performance of the
organizations and capacity for the ex-combatant children. The study further concluded that development of health
services is essential in enabling the re-integration of ex-combatant children in Haute-Kotto Prefecture of the CAR.