A Hundred Thousand Orphans vividly documents the war and orphanage environments experienced by thousands of traumatized Eritrean children and the long-term consequences their unique education¿largely the egalitarian values inherent to the Eritrean culture¿has on their ability to socially integrate into society as adults. Dr. Wolff applies his expertise as a psychiatrist and authority on child development to evaluate the effects of war and orphanage conditions on the development of Eritreäs war orphans. In this insightful account, he documents the growth of these orphans over a thirty-year period, providing one of the most in-depth accounts of the effect war and conflict have on children. Dr. Wolff presents a strategy that successfully integrated hundreds of orphans into post-war society and provides it as a model for giving traumatized children hope for recovery and an opportunity to overcome destructive circumstances to heal. This is a framework that will have applications around the world in diverse situations concerning childhood development and trauma.

Peter H. Wolff, MD (Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine), a renowned research psychiatrist and humanitarian, retired from positions as Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Senior Associate in Psychiatry at Children¿s Hospital Medical Center. He was a founding member of the Institutional Review Board at Boston Children¿s Hospital, on which he served for 35 years. Wolff is the recipient of many awards, an Honorary Degree, and author of approximately 150 publications.

List of Figures - Preface - Acknowledgments - Introduction -
Part I Eritrea at War
- The Road to the Base Camps - A Brief Overview of Modern Eritrea - The Base Camps - The Human Factor - Departures - Solomuna - Solomuna Revisited - Centers for Mothers and Infants - The Zero School - Cassandra's List - Peace at Last -
Part II One Hundred Thousand Orphans
- Meeting the Challenge - Orphanages - Reunification - Group Homes - Education after Liberation - Community Child- Care Centers -
Part III A Dubious Liberation
- A New Government - Another War - The Peacetime Economy and Its Ramifications -
Part IV The Legacy of the Zero School
- The Orphans Revisited - Looking Forward - Bibliography - Additional Resources - Biographical Data