Date: 15/05/2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Boys_of_Sudan Lost Boys of Sudan is the name given by aid organizations to refer to the more than 27,000 boys who were displaced and/or orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2003, about 2 million killed).... In 2001, about 3800 Lost Boys arrived in the United States, where they are now scattered in about 38 cities, averaging about 100 per city.... Most of the boys were orphaned or separated from their families when government troops systematically attacked villages in southern Sudan killing many of the inhabitants, most of whom were civilians http://sudanchristianwomen.com/LostBoysOfSudan.htm Before coming to the United States, they had received letters from Sudanese friends in North Dakota, Washington and Michigan describing a substance called "snow."... Like other Lost Boys, Abraham's exact age is unclear because he fled from his home without a birth certificate or paperwork. International aid workers have assigned birthdays to the Lost Boys, so many say they were born on Jan. 1. Most are probably between 18 and 25. http://lostboysfilm.com/about.html From there, remarkably, they were chosen to come to America. Safe at last from physical danger and hunger, a world away from home, they find themselves confronted with the abundance and alienation of contemporary American suburbia.... Lost Boys of Sudan directed by Megan Mylan and Jon Shenk, won an Independent Spirit Award and screened theatrically in 70 cities across the U.S. to strong audience and critical praise. http://www.redcross.org/news/in/africa/0108lostboyspage.html Read a first-hand account about one Lost Boy's journey. Daniel Garang describes his journey across across Africa, to the United States, in search of relief. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90248554 Mississippi Home for Lost Boys. May 7, 2008 · Several years ago, a group of Sudanese refugees known as "The Lost Boys," came to Mississippi. One of the refugees, Peter Malual, is now a junior at Jackson State University. He shares his story. And Julie Hines Mabus, a former first lady of Mississippi, explains why she decided to become the champion of these refugees. http://www.coping.org/wordauthors/lostboys/history.htm Child welfare workers note that the Sudanese youth generally have very high expectations about education, which is seen as a "recovery strategy"-a way to take back control over their lives.... Prior to coming to the United States reports about these 3,400 were gathered from the settlement workers at Kakuma. These reports on the Sudanese usually noted that they are an extremely resilient group. ... One Sudanese case manager said that the most important cultural note for the Sudanese is to learn the importance of time in the U.S. (e.g., making and keeping appointments and following schedules). http://www.thelostboysfoundation.org Enemy troops were close behind, but the river had currents so strong that we could not cross safely. When we heard gunshots we realized that the troops were going to kill us all and that we had no choice but to jump in the river. http://www.thelostboysfoundation.org/2007/plight.html When they approached a village, the elders would get the boys who were old enough to run but not old enough to fight out of the village and of course they would flee as fast as possible....Last Saturday night, Pel Gai and Dourading Duop, two of the Lost Boys I made portraits of, went to a nightclub in south Nashville with about 20 other Sudanese. A young drunk African-American soldier started picking on Pel and knocked him down. ... They have seen such terror, grief, loss, sadness and horror only to come to our Land of Opportunity, and then senselessly murdered by an African- American soldier where they thought at last they would be safe. Four of the boys sent to Nashville have been killed in the few years they have been here. http://www.theirc.org/where/the_lost_boys_of_sudan.html In 2001, close to four thousand Lost Boys came to the United States seeking peace, freedom, and education. ... “The Lost Boys of Sudan: An American Story of the Refugee Experience” is journalist Mark Bixler’s account of the Lost Boys’ journey. http://youtube.com/results?search_query=lost+boys+of+sudan&search_type= [Many videos related to the Lost Boys of Sudan are available through YouTube.] http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4698532 We took Monyde with us. He was a funny, talkative little boy, happy and courageous even when the walking became bitterly hard at the day's end. ... By midday we walked like sick dogs, with our steps zigzagging down the road. We could feel our bones trying to exhibit themselves to the world. Everything around us looked ugly and wild. We couldn't find happiness in ourselves, and no one could put it in us.... A soldier told us, "That is a skulls tree where you can see all types of bones from a lot of people who went to rest in the cool shade and never got up to continue their journey." http://allianceforthelostboys.com Education, which is granted only to the wealthy in their native Sudan, has become a beacon of hope for these young men, many of whom work two jobs so they can pay tuition expenses.... Because the boys have been malnourished for most of their lives and have also been subjected to a variety of life-threatening illnesses and disease, most still suffer from health and dental problems. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3602724.stm The lost boys - so called because they had to fend for themselves without parents or elders - set out on an extraordinary journey across Africa that took them to Ethiopia, back to Sudan and to refugee camps in Kenya.... I have noticed several "lost boys" in our community over the years and recently I have come into contact with one young man who delivers art and framing supplies to my place of work. I asked him where he was from one day and he confirmed that he escaped the Sudan. I further inquired how he liked living in Salt Lake City, his reply: "America is very different from my homeland." It is their hope that through their education, they will gain the knowledge and means to rebuild their country and save the lives of their loved ones left behind.... But it is not the hardships that you will remember after reading this book, it's their unique views on life, their courage, and their will to survive that will live in your memories for a long time to come. It is by far the best non-fiction book in print and a must read for all book groups and readers looking for inspiration in a world where atrocities and genocide have become common place. http://lostboynomore.com/exerpt.html An estimated two million civilians have given their lives in the civil war, while four to five million more are displaced either in government-controlled camps or in refugee centers outside of Sudan.... Not one single factor caused the civil war but rather the causes lie in the religion, politics, and economics of the region.The Islamic government of Khartoum has declared a jihad (holywar) against southern Sudan. The war’s purpose is to force Muslim traditions and practices on all of the people. If this is accomplished, the government will have control of not only the people, but also of the valuable resources of the south. http://www.theirc.org/media/www/meet_the_lost_boys_of_sudan.html Because humankind often needs support in one way or another, I am very grateful to those people who help Lost Boys ride their high plane of dignity toward success! ... “I will always recall living in the Kenyan refugee camp for nine years where dust covered the sky and I couldn’t see the sun, where my life relied on a pound of food and a bottle of water for two weeks. In all these difficulties, my only hope was education and in these conditions I dreamed of pursuing my goal in the future. I was the first of a hundred Lost Boys who were welcomed to San Diego in 2001. The first thing I said when I arrived was, “Please show me the school. How can I get started?” http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/Chamaker/11558971/print The author recently stopped in Washington, D.C., to promote the ongoing work of rebuilding in Sudan and field questions about Valentino’s life, including the role of the church.... Although the church is present through the services offered, Eggers paints a portrait of Valentino as someone still searching for the sort of community many Christians find in the church. ... The book is not primarily a commentary on the church’s outreach to these men, but the spiritual aspect of Valentino’s life takes a back seat to the daily struggle to make ends meet and to avoid being taken advantage of.... The novel is based almost entirely on Valentino’s recollections, although Eggers labels the book a novel because he used the experiences of other Lost Boys to fill in Valentino’s vague memories of family life before his village was attacked. It painfully reveals how the struggles of these men continue in the States, where they find it difficult to achieve their hopes for more learning and for marriage. http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/04/07/20080407lostboys0407.html The AZ Lost Boys Center serves a quarter of the population by giving Lost Boys and also girls or women a place to gather with friends and access education services, job counseling, resume training and recreation opportunities.... The brothers walked across Africa together but lost touch when they arrived in Phoenix: Deng was placed with a foster family while Riang, who was in his mid-20s, went to live in apartment with several other men.... Officers had been called to the Gar home to investigate reports of domestic violence and other issues at least eight times in the year leading up to the murder, police records show. http://www.azlostboyscenter.org Thus began another long walk—this time to a United Nations refugee camp in Kenya. They lived in Kakuma since 1992. Although hungry, frightened, and weakened, their spirit of hope remained strong through their unyielding faith in God, and their intense desire to become educated. Intolerable living conditions in the camp gave the United States government reason to resettle some 4,000 of these, now, young men in America. In 2001, some 550 “Lost Boys” have “found” Arizona and have made it their new home.... We hope you enjoy reading about all the activities taking place at the Center and the exciting events going on in the lives of our Lost Boys. http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080511/ENTERTAINMENT0507/805110316/-1/RSS05 "When we started the foundation, we asked them what they wanted, and they said they wanted a center so they'd all have something to call home."... "Art making is likely one of the only places in this new culture where they can be themselves," says Kathryn Snell-Ryan, a Nashville-based art therapist.... For the center to achieve its ultimate purpose, it must become a more dynamic organization — one that can help provide educational resources, computer access, health care and any number of other services that many Americans take for granted. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/344894_lostboys26x.html?source=rss As the men laughed loudly, throwing their heads back, leaning forward trying to catch their breath, there was little indication of the horror that had brought them together.... "I think of it," said William Deng, who recently earned an associate degree at community college and is hoping to go to divinity school.... After they arrived in the U.S., they were able to call rescue agencies to find whoever they could reach; Joseph Deng learned his mother had died. | ||||||