Lost Boys of Sudan
The Lost Boys of Sudan is the name given to the groups of over 20,000 boys of the Nuer and Dinka ethnic groups who were displaced and/or orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983–2005), about 2.5 million killed and millions were displaced.[1] The name "Lost Boys of Sudan" was colloquially used by aid workers in the refugee camps where the boys resided in Africa.
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[edit] History
Most of the boys were orphans separated from their families when government troops and government-sponsored militias systematically attacked villages in southern Sudan, killing many of the inhabitants. Many avoided capture or death because they were away from their villages tending cattle at the cattle camps (grazing lands located near bodies of water where cattle were taken and tended largely by the village children during the dry season) and were able to flee and hide in the dense African bush. Presumably orphaned, they traveled by foot for years in search of safe refuge, on a journey that carried them over a thousand miles across three countries to refugee camps where they resided in Ethiopia and Kenya and in various villages where they sought refugee in South Sudan. Over half died along their epic journey, due to starvation, dehydration, sickness and disease and attack by wild animals and enemy soldiers.[2] Experts say they are the most badly war-traumatized children ever examined.[1] The Foundation For The Lost Boys pay for them to go to school in the states.
Some of the unaccompanied male minors were conscripted by the Southern rebel forces and used as soldiers in the rebel army, while others were handed over to the government by their own families to ensure protection, for food, and under a false impression the child would be attending school.[3]
The war impacted girls too. When villages were attacked, girls were reportedly raped, and women and small children (boys and girls) were taken to the north to be used or sold as slaves. When arriving in the camps in Ethiopia, the boys were placed in boys-only areas of the camp, but according to Sudanese culture, the girls could not be left alone and were placed with surviving family members or adopted by other Sudanese families. When the resettlement program to the US was initiated in 1999, one of the requirements was that the children must be orphans. Because these girls had been living in these family units for up to 9–14 years, they were no longer considered orphans and therefore, were not eligible for the resettlement program. As a result, relatively few of the Lost Girls were deemed eligible for the resettlement program to the US.[2]
By 1992, UNICEF had reunited almost 1200 Lost Boys with their families. However, about 17,000 were still in camps in the area as of 1996.[4]
In 2001, as part of a program established by the United States Government and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), approximately 3800 Lost Boys were allowed to resettle in the United States. They are now scattered over at least 38 cities.[1] Halted after 9/11 for security reasons, the program restarted in 2004. As of 2006, the largest population of Sudanese refugees in the United States is in Omaha, Nebraska, which hosts about 7,000 people.[5] Numerous resettlement agencies, such as Catholic Charities, Lutheran Social Services, the IRC, World Relief and others assisted in the resettlement process. A variety of programs have been initiated to help these displaced people, in areas of education, medical assistance, reconnecting with families in South Sudan and in rebuilding efforts and providing humanitarian aid in Southern Sudan.[2]
In 2005, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed between the North and South of Sudan allowing free access to Lost Boys/ Girls and Sudanese Diaspora from around the world to return to their homeland. As a result, many are now returning to South Sudan to pay it forward and help in the rebuilding of their war torn country and to provide humanitarian aid and support. In January 2011, 99.47% of South Sudanese voted to separate from the north and become an independent nation. Some of the US Lost Boys and Girls now hold positions in Government of South Sudan.[2]
[edit] Books and film
There have been a number of books and films about the Lost Boys, including:
- 2010: A Hare in the Elephant's Trunk, by Jan L. Coates. A novel based on the life of Jacob Deng, now living in Nova Scotia, Canada.[6]
- 2010: NCIS: Los Angeles, "Breach"
- 2009: Rebuilding Hope, a documentary by Jen Marlowe following three Lost Boys, Gabriel Bol Deng, Koor Garang and Garang Mayuol, as they return to South Sudan.[7]
- 2009: Aher Arop Bol, The Lost Boy: The true story of a young boy's flight from Sudan to South Africa (Kwela Books). ISBN 978-0-7957-0278-5
- 2009: Emmanuel Jal, "War Child" . The story of Emmanuel Jal, a child soldier and current rap artist.
- 2007: The Without A Trace episode "Lost Boy" (season 6, first aired September 27, 2007), included two "Lost Boys" from Sudan as supporting characters.
- 2007: John Bul Dau and Michael Sweeney, God Grew Tired of Us: A Memoir. The life story of John Dau, who was also chronicled in the 2006 documentary God Grew Tired of Us. ISBN 978-1426201141
- 2007: Felicia R. McMahon, Not Just Child's Play: Emerging Tradition and the Lost Boys of Sudan. An analysis of the music, dance, and folklore of the DiDinga community living around Syracuse, New York. ISBN 978-1-57806-987-3.
- 2006: Dave Eggers, What Is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng. A novel based on the story of Valentino Achak Deng, now living in the US.
- 2006: Christopher Dillon Quinn, God Grew Tired of Us, documentary about John Dau, Akim Bunny, Daniel and Panther, now living in the US State of Pennsylvania.
- 2005: Judy A. Bernstein (ed.), They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys of Sudan. The true story in their own words of the 14-year journey of Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng and Benjamin Ajak, who came to the US in 2001, before 9/11.[8]
- 2005: Mark Bixler, The Lost Boys of Sudan: An American Story of the Refugee Experience[9]
- 2005: Joan Hecht, The Journey of the Lost Boys. ISBN 0-9763875-0-6
- 2005: Dinka Diaries, documentary about Lost Boys in Philadelphia,
- 2004: I Heart Huckabees, the movie mentions the Sudanese War and former Lost Boy Ger Duany acts in the movie[10]
- 2004: Abraham Nhial and DiAnn Mills. Lost Boy No More. ISBN 0-80543186-1
- 2004: The 7th Heaven episode "Lost and Found" (season 8, first aired May 3, 2004), depicted two Lost Boys.
- 2003: Lost Boys of Sudan, a documentary film about two Lost Boys, Santino Majok Chuor and Peter Nyarol Dut, who come to the USA. Aired on P.O.V..
- 2003: A Great Wonder: Lost Children of Sudan Resettling in America. Film about three Lost Boys as immigrants to Seattle, WA.
- 2002: Benjamin and his Brother, directed by Arthur Howe.[11]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Lost Boys of Sudan, official IRC website.
- ^ a b c d Joan Hecht. The Journey of the Lost Boys
- ^ See for example War Child: A Child Soldier's Story by Emmanuel Jal
- ^ 1996 Unicef report
- ^ Burbach, C. "Rally features Sudanese vice president." Omaha World-Herald. July 22, 2006.
- ^ A Hare in the Elephant's Trunk, a novel based on the life of Jacob Deng. ISBN 978-0-88995-451-9
- ^ Rebuilding Hope, a documentary by Jen Marlowe
- ^ They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky, official book site.
- ^ The Lost Boys of Sudan: An American Story of the Refugee Experience, a nonfiction book about 'Lost Boys' resettled in the United States
- ^ I Heart Huckabees at IMDB
- ^ Benjamin and his Brother.
[edit] External links
NGOs
- The Sudanese Education Fund, a 501(c)3 nonprofit serving the South Sudanese refugee population in Massachusetts
- HELPSudan International, founded by lost boys living in Chicago who are determined to better communities in southern Sudan by establishing schools and providing health resources and clean water
- John Dau Sudan Foundation, a Foundation founded by Lost Boy John Dau and dedicated to transforming healthcare in Southern Sudan.
- The Valentino Achak Deng Foundation
- Alliance For The Lost Boys
- Sudanese Lost Boys Association of Australia
- Gabriel's Dream A charity dedicated to securing education and dental care for the lost boys.
- Hope for Ariang, "Lost Boy" Gabriel Bol Deng's project to build a primary school in the Bhar El Ghazal region
- Water for Sudan - started by Lost Boy, Salva Dut, to provide clean water to Southern Sudan
- Southern Sudan Health Care Organization - started by Lost Boys, Jacob Atem, and Lual Awan, to build clinic in Southern Sudan
Photographs and articles
- Photojournalist's Account - Images of Sudan's displaced
- Between Two Worlds: A Personal Journey, Photographs by Eli Reed of the Lost Boys of Sudan
- Sudanese Stories, An oral history project recording the migration journeys and settlement experiences of southern Sudanese refugees now living in Blacktown, Western Sydney, Australia
- "Lost Boys find their way in Rochester", story on Lost Boys relocating to the US
- "Do Not Forget The Lost Girls of Sudan", Refugees International, February 11, 200
