I think that without the support of each other, they wouldn't have survived.
Every 14 days, each boy received 15 kilograms of maize flour, some cooking oil and one cup of beans,
Sharing was what kept us together, pushed us together,
If I didn’t receive my ration one day, my friend would call me when it was time to eat.”
Malual, then a teenager, found a job. Although the large bulk of his salary went toward rent for an apartment he almost never saw, Malual took on extra hours and began to save money
You’re going to go home,’” Malual said. “And they gave me a ticket. I was so happy; I couldn’t believe it.”
‘Is this the wrong family?’”
His brother, who had been the one to tell Malual to run as a child, had remained in the village.
‘When I told you to run, I didn’t mean to run forever
he described America as his second home and said he couldn’t imagine leaving it.
Great story about this boy called Malual and his survival as a lost boy. His story stretches from the beginning to his arrival in America and how he felt about it.
A timeline showing the main events of the Lost Boys.
It isn't overly detailed and shows only the major events.
This is a timeline based specifically on a man called Deng Jongkuch. Timeline continues showing the rest of journey - America.
1983 - Sudanese Civil War starts
1987 - War in Southern Sudan (affecting civilians such as Achak Deng.
1987 - The walk of the Lost Boys started. Goal - to reach Ethiopia.
1987-1991 - Refugee Camp in Ethiopia
1991- Walk from Ethiopia to Kenya - after Pinyudo attack
Many children survived a gruesome 1,000-mile walk to get to the closest refugee camp.
when I resettled here, we were put in group of two or three or four or five people
And then eventually, each one of us start finding job and so you find yourself working, you know, totally different environment. But, you know, we are willing to learn and just be able to put yourself in the society you can just learn.
But in terms of making friend, generally, the society has been, I would say, on my side, has been receptive and very hospitable - especially in Tucson, Arizona, where I settled.
VAD: It is very close to the truth, but many things in the book are somewhat different than what happened in life. Some characters have been combined. Some time is compressed. They are minor things, but they were necessary. For one thing, I was very young when the book begins, so I could not remember conversations and small details from my early childhood in Marial Bai. It was necessary to reconstruct the chronology, and that is what Dave did. He took the basic facts and then created the story from there.
He states that he didn't make What is the What a biography because he couldn't remember all the tiny details on the way. Because some of the characters were combined and the time was compressed. Could this give him a 'slack' or possibly an excuse to exaggerate a bit in some parts of the story?
Yuot's life depended on how fast and how far his tiny bare feet could take him every day, with hot sand prickling every step, for a thousand miles with little or no sleep, day after day, night after night, across Sudan, the largest country in Africa. So he walked. For his life.
"The physical elements of the desert were extreme. The boys had to deal with hunger and thirst issues along the way. It's hard to believe what they endured. It's certainly a group of young men who are exceptional. What really got these boys through was a reliance on each other.
The boys relied on each other throughout the whole way to survive.
During the journey, many died of starvation. Many drowned. Some were shot. Some were devoured by crocodiles.
"They were young and they went on this trek that was close to 1,000 miles. They had to endure all of the elements. Many of them saw death on their journey and in Kenya.
To survive, they walked. They marched through their war-torn country, seeking refuge, first in Ethiopia, then Kenya and, eventually, the United States.
The boys were admired for it. It was really a test of endurance to go through what they did. It's why each one of those boys is so resilient today."
Only about half of the Lost Boys who tried to escape Sudan survived the journey.
"There were some areas of the desert when we had no water at all, so we had to drink out of small creeks where animals and other people used to go to the bathroom
Whoever is interested in knowing more about the Lost Boys' journey, you might want to read this article. it talks about the "Walk of Life", and the story of a 9-year-old boy, Yuot and what he had to endure.
According to Sudanese culture, the girls could not be left alone and instead were placed with surviving family members or with other surviving families/adults. Also, when the US resettlement program was created in 1999, by that time, most of the girls had been living in the family units assigned them for 9-14 years and were no longer considered to be orphans. Therefore, they were not allowed for resettlement. However, many of the Lost Girls that did come to the US have now earned their college degrees and/or married. Some have returned to South Sudan and are working in the government of South Sudan and assisting in rebuilding their country. The lost girls are known to be having their normal lives.
A short article about the amount of refugees in the camp. There is a growing population there with refugees from Sudan, Ethiopia, Burundi, Somalia and DRCongo.
It's hard to distinguish what is reality and what is not.
they had left a life of terror far behind found that it had followed them to America.
Abraham felt he'd reached a dead end
if I go down there, am I going to die?
"And I wanted to tell him in the United States it's different, you need to think this way and that way. And basically on Sept. 11, I was re-educated because it wasn't a surprise to him.
The south’s departure did not put an end to conflicts. There were many unresolved issues, and Sudan and South Sudan soon began squabbling bitterly over how to demarcate the border and share oil profits. (The conundrum of the two Sudans is that both countries are extremely dependent on oil, but while the export pipelines run through the north, the bulk of the crude oil lies in the landlocked south.)
“When the pain in James’ legs became too much to bear, one of the older boys would pick him up…when he had gone days without water, he sucked liquid from the mud, when he was so weak from hunger, he ate leaves and berries.
""When the pain in James' legs became too much to bear, one of the older boys would pick him up…when he had gone days without water, he sucked liquid from the mud, when he was so weak from hunger, he ate leaves and berries."
In 2001,
intolerable living conditions in the refugee camp gave the United States
government reason to resettle some 4,000 of these now young men in America.
In 1987, civil war drove an estimated 20,000 young boys from their families and villages in south Sudan. Most just six or seven years old, they fled to Ethiopia to escape death or induction into slavery and the northern army. They walked more than a thousand miles, half of them dying before reaching a Kenyan refugee camp. The survivors of this tragic exodus became known as the Lost Boys of Sudan.
ince its inception in 2001, the Lost Boys Emergency Fund has distributed over $14,000 to southern Sudanese refugees, with the generous support of IRC donors.
This website talks about the resettlement of the lost boys to america. It gives more information about the technicalities about the steps the lost boys have to go through to resettle to America.
Drunk and abusive, his slave master often beat him. Once, as punishment, he had chili peppers rubbed into his eyes, causing him to go blind.
Experts say there's really no concrete estimate on the number of slaves in Sudan. They blame the absence of data on a lack of concern in the international community.
CSI rescued Deng and brought him to the United States, where doctors recently operated on his eyes. It's unclear how much of his sight he may regain.
"The offspring of those women who are enslaved when they're raped by their masters or their master's sons will become Muslim. They have no choice," Eibner explained.
CAMP, Kenya, 6 August (UNHCR) – Kakuma Refugee Camp has surpassed its capacity of 100,000 residents, creating serious concerns as more refugees continue to arrive.
The provision of life-saving assistance and important services is becoming increasingly difficult due to limited funding to cater for the growing population, particularly in the shelter, sanitation, education, and healthcare sectors
idents and members of the local community due to the limited water and other resources in the area.
However, an estimated US$16.7 million would be required to set up a second camp and UNHCR's current financial constraints mean this would likely also pose significant challenges.
This is a very recent article from the 6th August 2012 about the struggles that Kakuma refugee camp is now facing. It is a very short article mainly about the fact that the camp is exceeding its maximum population.
Wow. Guys this is Jany Deng, one of the Lost Boys.
He is an example of success through resettlement in America and this him on TED talking about his experiences!!
That's amazing.
A little bit late now, but a great website about Noriaki's "Wakachiai Project" in Sudan, as well as more about Noriaki (There are even some photos of him)