Lost Boys of Sudan
The Lost Boys of Sudan are more than 27,000 boys of the Nuer and Dinka ethnic groups who were displaced and/or orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983–2005, about 2 million killed).[1]
The name was given by aid organizations, including the International Rescue Committee program which resettled some of these refugees from Sudan to the United States.
In 2001, about 3800 Lost Boys arrived in the United States, where they are now scattered in about 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.[2] The Episcopal Church, Catholic Charities and a variety of other charitable organizations helped bring Sudanese refugees to the United States. A variety of programs have been initiated to help these displaced people, everything from reconnecting families and learning their culture and helping them getting through colleges and universities.
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.[1] The younger boys survived in large numbers because they were away tending herds or were able to escape into the nearby jungles.[1] Orphaned and with no support, they would make epic journeys lasting years across the borders to international relief camps in Ethiopia and Kenya evading thirst, starvation, wild animals, insects, disease, and one of the most bloody wars of the 20th century.[1] Experts say they are the most badly war-traumatized children ever examined.[1]
When villages were attacked, girls were raped, killed, taken as slaves to the north, or became servants or adopted children for other Sudanese families. As a result, relatively few girls made it to the refugee camps.[1] In 1992 UNICEF has reunited almost 1200 Lost Boys with their families. However, about 17,000 are still in camps in the area.[3]
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[edit] Books and film
There have been a number of books and films about the Lost Boys, including:
- 2010: NCIS: Los Angeles Breach
- 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:Bold text'''Bold textI Love Cows' 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.
- 2005: Mark Bixler, The Lost Boys of Sudan: An American Story of the Refugee Experience
- 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[4]
- 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.
[edit] Age
According to the UNICEF website, the ages of the Lost Boys was in the 7 to 17 range. [3]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive and inappropriate external links or by converting links into footnote references. (August 2010) |
- Lost Boys of Sudan, Award-Winning documentary film
- 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
- Lost Boys of Sudan, official IRC website.
- Lost Boys from the Red Cross.
- Photojournalist's Account - Images of Sudan's displaced
- Lost Boys Program Fresh Ministries'
- Alliance For The Lost Boys
- Sudanese Lost Boys Association of Australia
- "Do Not Forget The Lost Girls of Sudan", Refugees International, February 11, 2002.
- Gabriel's Dream A charity dedicated to securing education and dental care for the lost boys.
- They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky Official book site
- Hope for Ariang, "Lost Boy" Gabriel Bol Deng's project to build a primary school in the Bhar El Ghazal region
- 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
- Water for Sudan - started by Lost Boy, Salva Dut, to provide clean water to Southern Sudan
