The Lost Boys of Sudan - more lost than ever

Looking to find peace and start new lives, many of the Lost Boys of Sudan struggle to surpass the countless obstacles they continue to encounter even after resettling in America. Some are still far from their happily ever after.

By Elisa Benham

Overwhelmed after arrival in the airport, an African Boy who stands out amongst the crowded terminal, walks dumbstruck admiring every aspect of what to him, is a whole new world. “We were leaving everything we knew, or thought we knew; each of us had only one small bag of possessions, and no money at all, no family where we were going. (1)” Valentino Achak Deng, a Lost Boy of Sudan couldn’t have hoped or dreamed of anything more than escaping the civil war which tormented his home country of Sudan for over 20 years. He was left bewildered with the idea that he was in the United States, over 10’000 kilometers away from the land he left only days ago. It didn’t take long before the cold started to frighten him as he began longing for the warmth of his home which he said goodbye to indefinitely. He could sense stares upon him and he already felt misplaced in his vast surroundings. His confidence began draining out of him but the worry which replaced it hid behind his enthusiastic smile. Even holding on to nothing more than hope, he took the opportunity of a lifetime by being resettled in America. He had the chance to create a future for himself and he was not going to let anything bring him down. Ever since he was forced to flee his home when attacked by government troops when he was only a child, he became one of the 20’000 Lost Boys of Sudan with no safe refuge until 4000 of them became the largest resettled group of unaccompanied refugee children in history. The U.S. office of refugee resettlement began bringing boys aged 16 and older over from 2001. Leaving Africa and the afflicted land behind them was truly a dream come true but stepping off the plane in the big Western country was the biggest step the fortunate Boys had ever taken. The stumbles which began to shatter their determination came hard as “The Lost Boys' of Sudan escaped civil war and came to America, with challenges less brutal but no less real.”

Peter Dut, a lost boy who arrived in Minneapolis was one of the many of the Lost Boys were shocked upon arrival in America as only a few days earlier he had been first exposed to simple features from light switches to a toilet flush. Even water running from taps and simple everyday household appliances were new wonders. Supermarkets stocked with more food than he had ever even seen in his lifetime fascinated him greatly as the simple food shopping experience was astonishing. Passing through it all, gazing at the wondrous objects which he dared not to touch, watching as people casually filled their trolleys with anything they wanted. He walked dazzled at everything from packaging to brands, repeatedly whispering names he saw to himself as each aisle brought more curiosity. Dog food and soap had never been seen through his eyes so when told the functions, he would nod almost with disbelief. Adapting and understanding all of these new concepts would take him time for Sudan was an estimated a few hundred years behind civilized countries; countries such as America. For the Lost Boys though, excited and full of ambitions, they imagined their bright future which lay ahead. “The words describing America had piled up without real meaning: freedom, democracy, a safe place, a land with food enough for everyone” Little did the Boys think that it would be far from that and their expectations were very high. "America wasn't paradise and it wasn't as easy as they told you in the camps”.

In the UN Kakuma refugee camp from 1992, the Boys stayed cramped together for over 10 years not knowing what their fate would be. They were coming from the refugee camp, where they were given food, owned their homes and got free education then suddenly to America, where they had to get their own food, pay rent and find themselves education. After using the first three months of rent and food cards they had been given, the Boys were forced to set out into the big cities to support themselves. Many of them even believed that they would be in school already after the first day of arrival but this wasn’t the case. They realised that they would have to save up for college with any job they could get hold of. A large majority are working in very low paying jobs earning no more than $10-20 dollars per hour. This money needed to pay for the essentials and then they could never let down their family back in the camp. Peter said "I came here to the United States. I thought I was coming to get education. I thought I was coming to try and gain something to help my people. But we don't get. We're just working for nothing." They have difficulty to find time for school whilst struggling to earn enough for the necessities. In 2002, 65% percent of the Lost Boys worked full time meaning that they did not attend school and 90% of those who did not work said it was because of their limited english. Loneliness and frustration haunt a large number of Lost Boys who could no longer recognize what had given them so much optimism. Valentino reveals “I pretend that I know who I am but I simply don’t.” Once full of dreams, going to America was all that anyone could think about as the first Boys began to leave the Kakuma camp. Celebrations took place throughout the camp as everyone anticipated news of their success. “Come back a successful man” was what Valentino’s father had said to him on departure. That is the reason why all of the resettled Sudanese feel obliged to send money back to their families, to help those who once helped them. They were not going to let their people down.

Already being lost in the big cities, not every American welcomed the Lost Boys with open arms. “It is hard to describe what others feel; when I pass by them they call me black and make racist remarks.” There were those who looked down on them and made them feel like they didn't belong. With the large adjustment the Boys had to face, Americans were not all very optimistic about how it would work out. There were of course Americans who volunteered to help them adjust and some families even fostered. The Boys whose ages were estimated under 18 by the UN, - as they did not know their ages on arrival, became the luckier ones who could attend High School but they were only a small 26%. Most of them have adjusted well to their new lives in comparison to the others. They did not need to worry about supporting themselves yet and were not thrown directly into the deep end as they had a family to take care of them. They could begin school whereas many Universities are not accepting the older Lost Boys because they are too old. Even the youths had difficulty adapting in different ways. “The youths do experience nightmares, homesickness, anxiety and depression. They miss their parents and friends” It is just as hard for Americans to understand them because the Lost Boys still feel lonely and do are not comfortable expressing themselves. Journalist Scott Peterson described them to be “among the most badly war-traumatized children ever examined.” When forced to run away from their villages, the Lost Boys set off together in groups to find safety from the violence everywhere they turned but had to walk over 1000 miles across Sudan without food or water, facing unbelievable dangers along the way. They may be safe now but they are still very lost.

"Imagine yourself landing in America with no financial resources and no support network. Strip away your parents, your family, education, money, housing, friends, neighbors who know you, all worldly possessions, language -- take all that away and what have you got left? How do you go about surviving?” These are the questions that really seem like mysteries. Realistically, these struggles could completely bring the Lost Boys down but although they have barriers to overcome which still remain to be fought, despite all, they realise that America has also brought light. It has brought them the countless opportunities to become new people, independent citizens and to be able to build a future. There are many who have become lost but there are more who are trying to think beyond the difficulties. They pulled through the loss of their loved ones, they walked through the country full of danger suffering severe starvation and dehydration, they witnessed deaths and more but still they are here in America, throughout all they survived. They persevere because they know there is suffering but they never stop having faith. Admitting that America is far from perfect: “This is a miserable place, of course, a miserable and glorious place that I love dearly and of which I could have seen far more than I could have expected”, it has become their home. Even as hard as it is, they know how fortunate they are to be in the big western country because there are still boys left in the Kakuma refugee camp. They know that America didn’t turn out to be their “forever after” but the resettled Lost Boys of Sudan still fight head high to find peace and happiness that they have been long awaiting.

Research Sources:

Eggers, Dave “What is the what”, Vintage books, United States, 2006

Corbett, Sara. "The Lost Boys of Sudan; The Long, Long, Long Road to Fargo." The New York Times. The New York Times, 01 Apr. 2001. Web. 21 Mar. 2013:
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/01/magazine/the-lost-boys-of-sudan-the-long-long-long-road-to-fargo.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

Muhindi, Masumbuko Martin and Nyakato, Kiganzi “Immigration of the Sudanese “ Lost Boys” in Boston, Massachusetts, USA 2002” (PDF):
http://web.mit.edu/cis/www/migration/pubs/Mahindi.pdf

Goffe, Leslie “Sudan’s Lost Boys in America” BBC News, BBC, New York Web. 31 Aug. 2004
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3602724.stm

Kohn, David. "Lost Boys II: Life In America." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 11 Feb. 2009. Web. 21 Mar. 2013:
http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500164_162-322870.html

"Lost Boys of Sudan-where Are They Now?" MSUToday. N.p., 18 July 2007. Web. 21 Mar. 2013:
http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2007/-1/

Cat Le, Phuong “The Lost Boys of Sudan: Finding their way in America” Seattle Pi, Hearst communications Inc, Hearst Newspapers, Web, 18 Jul, 2001
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/The-Lost-Boys-of-Sudan-Finding-their-way-in-1060236.php

Weddle, David "New Struggle in the U.S." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, Web. 19 Aug. 2003.
http://articles.latimes.com/2003/aug/19/entertainment/et-weddle19

“Annual ORR reports to Congress 2002” Office of refugee resettlement, Administrations for children and families archive, U.S department of health and human services, Web 2002
http://archive.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/data/02arc9.htm

“God Grew tired of us: From Sudan to the United States” © National Geographic video, n/d
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/movies/god-grew-tired/from-sudan-ggtu/

The Boys’ Wings of Hope

Resettled in the foreign land of America, the Lost Boys struggle to find an identity,
a home and they are as lost as ever.

By Molly Sunwoo

I was walking back home from work, exhausted. I was working as a laborer then. It was the worst job for someone as weak and skinny as me but I didn’t have many choices - $8.50 per hour as a ticket clerk just wasn’t going to earn me enough money for an education. When I opened the door of the apartment, I was surprised to find my American ex-girlfriend lying down on the sofa, humming a tune I wasn’t familiar with. I had broken up with her a week ago. After sending me endless texts and phone calls, and now, entering my house without permission?! It was ridiculous. Was this a part of American culture as well?

We had a huge dispute that night. She refused to break up with me. Suddenly, within the blur of the situation, I felt a hand strike across my face as she screamed, “You’re just a refugee here in America. I can kill you!” 1
Panic and fear building up inside me, I frantically pushed her out of the house and shut the door. She continued screaming outside the door for a few hours but even after she left, I could hear her furious voice echoing through my head, ‘You’re just a refugee here, I can kill you.’

Just a refugee.

I can kill you.

Peter Deng remembers one of the most horrific days of his past. His voice, strained, as he mentions that he had to place a restraining order on this woman. Besides this incident, Peter has been through several other terrible experiences in America. Within the first year of his arrival, he was assaulted, carjacked, fined $1,200 for driving without licenses, - which no one taught him was needed - and was falsely accused of fathering a child. As he lists each event, his body tenses, as if reliving these traumatizing days.

Peter now insists on staying home, for fear that he might be assaulted or be sent to jail for false accusations. He has simply given up trying to fit in - like a glass piece dropped to the ground, Peter’s determination has shattered into pieces.

“If I go to public places, the mall or a club, somebody might hurt me for that,” he says, with a voice drenched with fear. 2

It is undeniable that there were great physical sufferings for the Lost Boys in Africa. But back then, they relied on one another and supported each other. In America, most of the Lost Boys are outsiders, turned down, with no one to turn to. Just as Peter experienced, they are often harshly mistreated and pointed at for their dark skin tone. They are neither Sudanese or American anymore and rejected from society as they strive to find a home.

Though, of course, when Peter first arrived in Phoenix in 2001, he was thrilled, just as any other, completely unaware of what may be waiting for him. “So I was thinking that America is a good country. Maybe if I go there I will make money; I will go to school.” he says with a faint smile. 3

After years and years of aimlessly roaming around Africa, constantly chased by war and poverty, the Lost Boys seized any opportunities to escape.

This seemingly endless journey started when the Sudanese Civil War spread to Southern Sudan in 1987.

Nearly none of the native villages escaped from the abrupt strikes of the government and the murahaleen - arab militias on horseback who were armed by the Sudanese Government to attack SPLA and the Dinkas. Those who survived the raids would hide or run until they met other signs of settlement. Separated from their families or sometimes sent willingly by their parents, a total of 27,000 young orphaned boys and girls gathered, soon forming the ‘Lost Boys of Sudan’ and starting their walk towards safety.

Constantly running from violence, these boys were never able to settle down completely. Roaming around the endless continent of Africa, the boys spent 4 years in Pinyudo Refugee Camp, 9 years in Kakuma Refugee Camp and 1 year during a walk to Kenya. Wounds on their bare feet became deeper and deeper and every day was a new nightmare. “We chewed tall grasses and ate mud to stay alive.”4 John Bul Dau frowns as he recalls his walk.

Until finally, they caught the world’s attention and opportunity was in sight. Their simple wish became crystal clear them - to feel safe, to stop worrying, and live a life of peace and serenity.

Hence, when the US started resettling some of the Lost Boys to America in 2001, they grabbed it without any hesitation.

Jany Deng, is one of the exceptionally fortunate former Lost Boys who found a place in America. He was remarkably lucky to graduate high school, followed by university and in May 2005, become a US citizen. Now working as the Program Director at the Lost Boys Center for Leadership Development in Arizona, Jany works towards helping fellow victims of the war in Sudan and acts as a role model to most other Lost Boys.

But until now, Jany has had an extraordinarily painful past.

One of the first to leave the chaos in Sudan, Jany and his older brother, Simon arrived in America together in Phoenix in 1995, before most others. Unfortunately, they were separated straight away in America, as Jany (then 16) was put with foster parents while Simon (then 23) was placed in a small apartment shared with a few others. This was a common method in resettlement - the younger boys were given better environments and circumstances.

But regardless of age, whether the lost boy lived with a caring foster family or lived alone or with a few strangers, made an indescribable difference. Living conditions were the start of their new life and it could either act as a shadow or sunlight to their futures.

Though Jany started attending high school straight away, Simon could not. Already too old, no opportunities of education were provided for him. While constantly being chased by bills and economic struggles, Simon also had difficulties coping with racial discrimination. Living in his tiny apartment with a few other strangers, he was quickly filled with isolation and loneliness in an unfamiliar land. Depression soon crawled into his life - soundless, yet menacing.

Simon had landed in America with his determination strong, ready to fight. But every disappointment feeling like a punch in the gut, it didn’t take long for him to simply put down his weapons and give in.

Jany mentioned, by 1997, two years after his arrival in America, Simon had ‘grown despondent’ 5 and ‘began to speak of suicide’. 6 Completely different from his previous occasionally dispirited moods, he was constantly sorrowful.

A while after these observations, Simon Deng died in the same year. Driven from mental instability, Simon was shot by the police while damaging a Catholic Social Services Building with a pistol.

His brother’s death was an unbearable shock to Jany.

“Why here?” he asks. “He could have died over there. I could have died over there,” he says quietly, voice shaking. “The way it happened, it was not a good way.”7

America was an escape from war and violence for the Lost Boys. But, are they really safe? As a result of great social and economic difficulties now their most dangerous threat is essentially, themselves.

Around 80-90% of the Lost Boys resettled in America suffer a mental disorder called PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Caused by traumatic past experiences such as war, sexual assault, natural disaster and more, it is only natural that PTSD is exists within the Lost Boys. Though, through research, it has been proven that their current environment is also a large development factor of PTSD and that patients often experience lack of sleep, anxiety, nightmares and flashbacks.

It is a true tragedy that these bright boys are shadowed by such struggles. Still taunted by their past, they are being pulled back, unable to move on.

And because they were brought apart from their culture, family and are isolated in a foreign land among strangers, the Lost Boys often have no one to talk to, let out their troubles and feelings, which forces them to keep it all in.

Just like Simon Deng, who was not able to build personal and intimate relationships like his younger brother. Who, at the end, was left alone and helpless, to the point where he slowly cracked.

This heartbreaking story of Simon is what the majority of the resettled Lost Boys are going through. After all the deprivation in Africa, it only takes them one moment, one single moment, to let go of the willpower that kept them through their entire journey.

In the unknown land, they are fragile.

And these unfortunate yet brave boys deserve to be accepted and embraced. Like beautiful doves, wings broken from their horrible history, with love, their wounds can be bandaged, damages cured. And with encouragement, a helping hand, they can spread their wings and fly away, leaving their past behind.

References:

1. "SALON." Saloncom RSS. Leigh Flayton, 26 Aug. 2005. Web. 26 Mar. 2013.<http://www.salon.com/2005/08/25/lost_boys_3/>

2. "Boston University." Browse. N.p., 6 June 2005. Web. 26 Mar. 2013.<http://www.bu.edu/phpbin/news/releases/display.php?id=951>

3. "Sudan: The Passion of the Present." 'Sudan: The Passion of the Present' N.p., 30 Sept. 2005. Web. 27 Mar. 2013.<http://platform.blogs.com/passionofthepresent/2005/09/equipping_lost_.html>

4. "Impact A Village – Blog." Impact A Village Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2013. <http://impactavillage.org/blog/?tag=deng-jongkuch>

5. "ExplorersBio." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr.
2013.<http://www.nationalgeographic.com/explorers/bios/john-bul-dau/>

6. "Sudan: The Passion of the Present." 'Sudan: The Passion of the Present' N.p., 30 Sept. 2005. Web. 23 Apr. 2013. <http://platform.blogs.com/passionofthepresent/2005/09/equipping_lost_.html>

7. Collom, Lindsey. "Stress Issues Still Plague 'Lost Boys' of Sudan." N.p., 7 Apr. 2008. Web. 23 Apr. 2013.<http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0407lostboys0407.html?nclick_check=1>

8. Weddle, David. "LA Times- Lost Boys of Sudan." LA Times- Lost Boys of Sudan. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2013.<http://www.lostboysfilm.com/articles/laTimes.html>

9. "Lost Boys of Sudan." WolfWikis RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2013. <http://wikis.lib.ncsu.edu/index.php/Lost_Boys_of_Sudan>

Hot Cold

by Bethany Burns

“Hot. Cold. On. Off. Do you understand?” Yusuf asked William and his younger brother, Simon as they looked on in amazement. In his hand he held something he called a shower, which water had been trickling out of just a few seconds ago. Simon looked at his older brother panicked, a look that was familiar to William, as he quickly asked Yusuf if he wanted to take a break. Seeing they were overwhelmed, Yusuf sat them down and asked them to explain their life story to him.

“It all started with the Sudanese Civil War.” Simon said, the memories already causing him to tear up. “We became orphans, forced to walk thousands of miles in life threatening situations with hundreds of other Lost Boys.”

“Wait,” Yusuf interrupted, “Who are the Lost Boys?”

“The Lost Boys,” William explained, “are the thousands of boys who were orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War, the one that affect both Simon and I.”

From 1983 to 2005 the Second Sudanese Civil War had a death toll higher than any other since World War II, but what happened to the people who lived. Whose homes were ruined, families murdered? The majority of the Lost Boys were made up of these people, most of whom were only six or seven years old. Mainly from the Dinka or Nuer tribes, the boys spent years of their lives in refugee camps before some of them were allowed to resettle in the United States. There were originally 30,000 boys wandering in Sudan during the Civil War, but only 11,000 of them survived. “Thousands of the Lost Boys who were originally on the journey were either killed by soldiers who were chasing them, drowning, starvation or they were eaten by wild animals.”

“So what exactly was the Second Sudanese Civil War? How did it affect you two?” Yusuf asked, slightly confused.

“It was a 22 year civil war that cost around two million lives and has ruined the lives of millions more, including mine and Simon’s.” William said, shuddering simply at the thought of how many lives had been destroyed.

The Sudan’s People Liberation Army is the army of South Sudan. During the Second Civil War, the SPLA was led by John Garang, a Sudanese Politician and leader. It was a protagonist in the war, that was a conflict between the central Sudanese government and the SPLA. One of the main ways the SPLA fought the war was using children as soldiers. There were thousands of underage soldiers used in the war and many more who have been held in boys’ camps to be trained for the military.

“What happened with the Lost Boys and all the others who survived?” Yusuf asked uncertainly, as if he wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear the answer. Kakuma. How do you explain someplace you know saved your life but also took your life away from you?

“We were in a refugee camp,” Simon replied, his voice shaking a bit, “called Kakuma. It was..well it was very different to America. We’re obviously both very grateful to come here but adapting has been extremely hard so far.”

Since 1992 Kakuma in Northwest Kenya has served over 70,000 refugees from Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia, all of whom have experienced the challenges of Kakuma including frequent Dust storms as well as malnutrition, malaria and communicable disease outbreaks. In July 2012 Kakuma surpassed its limit of 100,000 people, all living with very basic facilities and supplies. Combine that with the 40 degrees Celsius weather and the living conditions which were cramped and far from comfortable. “The Kakuma Refugee Camp has no less than eight international aid organizations operating within its fences, with the United Nations providing subsistence-level food rations for the 65,000 refugees from seven African nations currently living there.”

Silence descended upon the room. Simon and William both reflecting on the events that had lead up to this moment, Yusuf, their sponsor thinking about what they had told him so far. The atmosphere in the room was suddenly very intense so William decided to get up and explore the apartment. He walked slowly over to the window. As far as anyone could see everything was covered in snow, the cars, the ground, even some of the people. Before they came to the US they had no idea what snow was. Simon and William had had no experience with snow, the closest was an ice cube in cultural orientation. Everything was so dissimilar to Kakuma, so intimidating.

“How did the two of you get to America from Kakuma?” Yusuf asked, hoping that his question would bring back happier memories.

“In 2001 the US government decided to let 3800 Lost Boys resettle in America and we were selected as two of them, we were very lucky. “ Simon explained, starting to smile a bit more thinking about when he saw his and William’s name on the list. “Many of the Lost Boys weren’t as lucky as us. Imagine going through this horrific journey with someone, surviving it all with them and the only thing that has the power to separate you is a piece of paper, showing who’s been chosen to go and live in the US.” William said thoughtfully.

“Have either of you been separated from loved ones?” Yusuf asked, again slightly scared of the answer. “No,” William stated, “again we were lucky. We’ve done everything together all our lives, and the resettlement agency understood this. Adapting to this new life has been slightly easier for us than many others because we still have each other.” Yusuf looked at both of the brothers, clearly debating whether or not to say anything. After a slight pause, he looked at Simon and asked “What have you been doing in America so far?”

“Many of the Lost Boys have faced many challenges upon coming to the US. The majority of them didn’t know what electricity was, what an apartment was, how they would get water without going to a river with a container. In Kakuma there was a compulsory cultural orientation class that the Lost Boys had to attend before going to America. They were taught that houses had more than one room, that men only had one wife, that it would be freezing in winter. When going out, there would always be a new experience, normally one that would scare one of the Lost Boys.

“In Boston, I watched one new arrival scream and run in fear at the sight of an escalator.”

“Today was my first day in Pharmacy School,” Simon said proudly, “I started going to Hampton University so I can help other people and save lives.” William looked at Yusuf, slightly embarrassed and said, “When we came to America we had no documents with us so the resettlement agency had to guess our age. They think I am too old to go to university so I have to try and find a job.” There was a short silence in the room before Yusef said to Simon and William, “Do you want me to show you around the neighborhood?” The two brothers looked at each other uncertainly, not sure if Yusuf felt obligated to help them or not. “Are you sure?” Simon asked, looking at Yusuf, “You don’t have to.”

“This is the refugee way - not knowing the limits of our hosts’ generosity..... I am tired of needing help. I need help in Atlanta, I needed help in Ethiopia and Kakuma, and I am tired of it. I am tired of watching families, visiting families, being at once part and not part of these families.” Valentino Achak Deng, What is that What

There were thousands of Lost Boys walking miles in Sudan in the late 20th and early 21st century. The lucky ones eventually resettled in America but while going from living in a refugee camp to creating a new life in such a developed continent isn’t easy at all, the Lost Boys should finally get the freedom they deserve after everything they’ve been through.

Bibliography:

"Here’s the Story…." Outreach Africa Inc RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. Apr. 2013. <http://www.lostboysus.org/>.

"Alliance for the Lost Boys of Sudan." ALLIANCE FOR THE LOST BOYS OF SUDAN - Alliance for the Lost Boys of Sudan. N.p., n.d. Web. Apr. 2013. <http://www.allianceforthelostboys.com/>.

Sarah, Corbett. n.d., n. pag. <http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/01/magazine/01SUDAN.html?pagewanted=all>.

Goffe, Leslie. "Sudan's 'lost Boys' in America." BBC News. BBC, 31 Aug. 2004. Web. 2013. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3602724.stm>.

"When Sudanese Refugees Come To America." PBH2. N.p., n.d. Web. 2013. <http://www.pbh2.com/astounding/around-the-world/when-sudanese-refugees-come-america/>.

Individuals from Sudan Are Brought to the USA. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYCA6g9bNg0>.

The Dream Country

America, the “Dream Country” was where every Sudanese wanted to settle down. But they could not make this dream come true as they were tormented by the deaths of their loved ones and they were uneducated, lost, tired and awaiting hope and freedom.

by Rajkumar Raiyani

The world changed around Bol Mulual (1). He is now a young lad of twenty one. He stared at the rain pattering against his window at his home in Chicago. His fingers slowly traced the raindrops trickling down on the window pane. Bol gazed at the rain and thought of his village which was so dry that the crops would not grow properly leading to a shortage of food. He took a deep breath and turned to look at the refrigerator and remembered how he had struggled with it when he first arrived in Chicago. “What is this? How does it work? Why does it have to be so complex?” He dropped to his knees and examined his hands. They were clean and smooth. He tried to remember a time when they were just the opposite, dirty and rough with cuts and wounds. Bol was one of the Lost Boys of Sudan.

Sudan had been embroiled in a civil war which started in 1983. Religion and oil sparked off this war pitching the Arab North against the Black Christian South. Around 27,000 Sudanese Boys were forced by violence from their Southern villages in the late 1980’s. Some of the boys were as young as four when they were forced to flee from their homes. The boys joined a group and set a course to Sub-Saharan Africa towards Ethiopia in search of safety. A camp provided the Lost Boys food, water and shelter for three years but when the government of Ethiopia toppled in 1991, the boys were forced to flee again. This time, they made their way to Kakuma, Kenya where it is home to 86,000 Lost Boys. The stories of these boys became known as the Lost Boys of Sudan as it had depicted various generations of Sudanese boys that were forced out of their homeland due to the civil war.

Bol reached America when the United States decided to resettle some of the Lost Boys in America. He reached America at the tender age of nineteen. It has been two years since he first landed. Bol walked out into the front porch and took a long deep breath. A sudden gust of cool breeze hit him in his face. The wind started to rage and howl and the rain pelted down hard on the road outside. The trees were swaying from side to side in a fury and the leaves were rustling, as if they were warning Bol to watch his step. Bol spread his arms out wide and felt the raindrops prickle against his skin. His inner soul urged him to let go and explore the ‘wilderness’. Bol began to gulp down the rainwater and the raindrops dribbled from his lips to the edge of his chin. The city-side was now at rest and there was tranquillity all around. He heaved a sigh of despair when he walked out of the gate.

He walked around and scanned his neighborhood. He found a kid struggling to score a 3-pointer near his garage. The kid’s struggle reminded him of his struggle on his arrival in America with 4000 other Lost Boys who were dispersed across the country.

America, the “Dream Country” was where every Sudanese wanted to settle. But they could not make this dream come true as they were tormented by the deaths of their loved ones and they were uneducated, lost, tired and awaiting hope and freedom. Bol still hasn’t forgotten the frightened and intrigued looks on the faces of the Lost Boys before their journey to America. They were worried and had numerous questions about their daily lives and how they would adapt to the dramatic changes.

A few of their questions in the words of the Lost Boys:

• Do people go to the river with containers to draw water for themselves for bathing? (2)
• There is something called apartment? I have never heard, met or seen it?
• Is using electricity hard?
• Shower? How does it look like?
• In the United States we heard there is only one wife?

Bol like any other Sudanese wanted to live the American Dream of joining a college and get his Bachelors or Associate Degree in order to earn a living and help his family and friends back in Kakuma and Sudan. All of them wanted to marry someone from their own community and raise a family. However not everyone was able to achieve this dream and those hopes were shattered for the likes of Santino Majok Chuor who was twenty-one when he landed in America. He was too old for high school and had no other option but to apply for a menial job as a loader for trucks, as he was in desperate need for money.

Bol remained put until the kid finally netted the 3 pointer. Just as he was about to move on, Bol got a glimpse of the kid’s jersey, a Chicago Bulls Basketball jersey with the name Deng printed on the back alongside the no 9. Bol smiled to himself and started to yell “The jersey belongs to Luol Deng, born in Sudan and a member of the Dinka tribe. He fled to Egypt with his family to escape the civil war when he was just five! He was lucky alright, otherwise he would have been a part of us... A part of the Lost Boys!” Bol felt like a fool for screaming blindly as the kid couldn’t hear him due to the heavy rain.

He trudged along and splashed water from the puddles on the road. Images from the past flashed by in his mind about Kakuma, crossing the Gilo river, before boarding the plane, the plane ride to America, its people and the surroundings. Bol chuckled to himself when he thought about his white chocolate story. He ate white chocolate for the first time in his life and thought it tasted like soap. He couldn’t tell whether it was soap or bitter ate it since people around him ate it too!

He remembered another funny incident which made him laugh even harder. This was when he couldn’t tell the difference between milk, cheese and meat. Several Lost Boys were shocked and astounded by the sudden change and complexity of life. Before switching flights, Bol had stumbled upon Simon who was explaining to one of the Lost Boys ”Some of the windows, they might be open and sometimes they close. So when your windows of opportunity open, just take it.” (3)

“I did, I did take the open window Simon... or was it God’s will?” Bol pondered. Till this day, he still hasn’t figured out the answer to the question.

Though it has been two years, Bol and many of the Lost Boys were still finding it difficult to adjust to the American way of life. When volunteers came along to teach them the basics of housekeeping, one of the Lost Boys uttered in an exhausted manner “America isn't paradise and it is not as easy as we were told in the camp." (4). Bol still has issues with food. Sometimes, he would find people staring and talking behind his back, “Who is that guy? Is he crazy?” Everything is different and it irritates him and some of his friends when some people ask them stupid and insulting questions like “Do you live in the forest?” People in America are not friendly and show no sign of hospitality, they are always walking alone and don’t talk to the Lost Boys. Bol couldn’t go into the house of someone he didn’t know even though everyone was American. Instead they call the police. When Bol was trying to find the right path, nobody came to lend him a hand. He couldn’t even ask them questions as they were ‘different’ people. Questions like:

• Can you show me the way please?
• How are we going to be acquainted to the lifestyle here?

Unlike America, the people of Sudan were far more generous, friendly and helpful. They would always try their best to help any person including a stranger and ensure that he/she is comfortable.

Nevertheless, Bol was reluctant to leave America as it was his second home. America was modern, hectic and both financially and economically successful compared to Sudan. America made him step out of his comfort zone in order to try new and challenging activities, granted him all the freedom that he didn’t have back home and provided him with an education and jobs to support himself, family and friends. Bol never gave up and always awaited for what the future had in store for him.

It stopped raining and the yellow gleaming sun came out of his hiding spot to spread around his warmth and light. Bol had been out for more than an hour and a half. He was soaked to the bone and his shoes were stained. The neighborhood was now coming to life. People slowly emerged from their homes as if it were a solitary prison and soaked in the sun and their surroundings. Kids were out screaming, crying and running around, playing sports or just sitting on their front porch for a breath of fresh air. Some couples were out for a short walk; holding hands while others just hugged and wished this beautiful and cool day would never end.

Bol found an empty bench and sat down. His heart was heavy when he saw the couples go by. Bol yearned for Crystal; his girlfriend back in Sudan. He wanted to bring her to America, so that he would have someone who would care, love and respect him. For that to happen, Bol would have to continue working hard, focus on his education and save enough money. Tears started to fill his eyes and his vision blurred. He imagined each teardrop as a Lost Boy slowly making his way around the twists and turns while leaving his hometown and loved ones to reach the final destination, ‘America’. Bol reminisced about his roommate Aboor’s first birthday with his patron and how he weeped like baby while whispering “Back in Africa they do not know how hard it can be here for us!”

Bol left the bench and jogged home, knowing how anxious Aboor would be. He was a block away from his home when he suddenly stopped in his tracks. Something flashed in his mind like a light bulb. The question that had been bothering him for two years had finally surrendered itself. “I did, I did take the open window Simon... or was it God’s will?” He now knew that answer to that - it was ‘God’s will’. He stared at his palm and beamed at himself.

‘God brought him to this country not just for himself ... but as a messenger with the power to unravel the exotic and hidden secrets for every Lost Boy in America.”

Footnotes:

(1) THE CHAUTAUQUAN DAILY. "One Lost Boy of Sudan Finds Path, Shares Life story." The Chautauquan Daily. N.p., 05 July 2011. Web. 29 Mar. 2013. <http://chqdaily.com/2011/07/05/one-lost-boy-of-sudan-finds-path-shares-life-story/>.

(2) National Geographic. "Mapping the Migration of the Lost Boys." National Geographic Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013. <http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/activity/god-grew-tired-of-us-mapping-migration-lost-boys/?ar_a=1>.

(3) KTEH. "Lost Boys of the Sudan." YouTube. YouTube, 04 June 2009. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kQSg0z6vEA>.

(4) Goffe, Leslie. "Sudan's 'lost Boys' in America." BBC News. BBC, 31 Aug. 2004. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3602724.stm>.

Bibliography:

a) KTEH. "Lost Boys of the Sudan." YouTube. YouTube, 04 June 2009. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kQSg0z6vEA>.

b) Goffe, Leslie. "Sudan's 'lost Boys' in America." BBC News. BBC, 31 Aug. 2004. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3602724.stm>.

c) National Geographic. "Mapping the Migration of the Lost Boys." National Geographic Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013. <http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/activity/god-grew-tired-of-us-mapping-migration-lost-boys/?ar_a=1>.

d) THE CHAUTAUQUAN DAILY. "One Lost Boy of Sudan Finds Path, Shares Life story." The Chautauquan Daily. N.p., 05 July 2011. Web. 29 Mar. 2013. <http://chqdaily.com/2011/07/05/one-lost-boy-of-sudan-finds-path-shares-life-story/>.

e) ImpactAVillage. "Journey Time Line - Aguea." Journey Time Line - Aguea. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2013. <http://rechercher.aguea.com/jo/Journey-Time-Line>.

f) BCDEnterprises. "Lost Boys of the Sudan." Lost Boys of the Sudan. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2013. <http://www.lostboyschicago.com/LostBoys.htm>.

g) CBSNews. "The Lost Boys, Part One." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 31 Mar. 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2013. <http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50143932n>.

h) An interview with Julie who works for the organization called Outreach Africa.(I got to know about Julie after I had emailed to the VAD Foundation. The VAD Foundation is primarily concerned with fundraising for Valentino's school in Marial Bai, which is why Soraya recommended me to contact Outreach Africa.

The Lost Girls Empowered

Despite the hardships they have faced and the pressures of cultural norms and gender roles, the Lost Girls refuse to be forgotten. 
  
By Aditi Pooviah

Aduei Riak sat demurely with one leg crossed over the other. She breathed softly, smoothing the fabric of her clean cut black work pants and absentmindedly stroked the red velvet lining of the deep red armchair, a splash of colour in the corner of her Boston area apartment. She was dressed as any average American lawyer would be: a crisp black blazer, hair cropped short and a delicate silver chain around her slender neck.

"I've seen a lot of things that a person of my age should not have been exposed to. The (memories) tend to be very dark and gray. I don't like talking about them, because for me talking about them is living them again." she said, eyes still glued to the floor, and even as her eyes swiveled up at me, she seemed far gone. Her usually lively eyes, the colour of sunlight shining through a glass of rum, were misted over with memories. “I was pretty much on my own at age six”.

Riak was one of the 89 ‘lost girls’ to survive the Sudanese Civil War (1983–2005), and succesfully escaped from the desolation, migrating to America. Along with other children, all torn from any sense of security, she embarked on a harrowing journey from South Sudan to Ethiopia. Facing a myriad of diseases, fatigue and starvation these children defied all odds and survived, finding refuge in a camp in Kenya. In 1999 the UNHCR created a US resettlement program for Sudanese children, and successfully resettled 4,000 boys across the United States. These boys were given the opportunity to take control of their futures in a newer, safer environment, often guided by facilitators and host families, while hundreds of girls remained forgotten, never even told about the option of applying for resettlement.

To be eligible for the program, you had to be an orphan, and for cultural reasons girls could not be left alone in camps and were sent to live with surviving families or adults. During the year that the resettlement program began, the girls had been living with these guardians for 9-14 years and were no longer considered orphans, leaving them ineligible. Repressed by a system that was made to protect them but instead restricted them, and cultural values that did the same, Sudanese girls had little hope of escaping from the future that had been chosen for them.

Aduei Riak’s survival and resettlement was a testament to her luck and perseverance, but the fact that she is thriving, an independent career woman who has more than overcome her horrific past, is what makes her story an inspiration. Riak is a beacon of hope to all who have been held back, restrained or oppressed, and especially to those that still dream of breaking the cycle, and choosing their own path.

Riak reached for her coffee, stirring with a degree of intensity, sombre as she mulled over her next answer. Like many Sudanese children, she had grown up with a warped sense of belonging. Separated from her loved ones while fleeing from danger, Riak has been a part of three foster families since being relocated to Boston. Now supported by her current foster family and a network of friends, she accredits her job as a paralegal at the law firm ‘Ropes and Gray” to this community saying: "I am where I am right now (at Ropes & Gray) because a lot of people have invested in me." Her foster parents share her affection and are ever supportive. "I'm amazed," says Garrett Parker, Riak’s foster father, clean cut in a homely grey sweater. "I think everybody that meets her is amazed at what she's been able to do. She came here with a lot of drive. She had always wanted to be more than what her culture wanted for her."

The Kakuma refugee camp has a population of 70,000 but only has the resources and services of a town of 5,000. Diseases like cholera, typhoid and malaria are extremely common. The lost boys took part in a psychological program where they were offered guidance, while the girls were supposed to seek comfort and advice from their families. This analysis was part of the criteria that was considered when choosing the candidates for resettlement, and this lack of foresight is why so few girls were resettled. The girls that were moved were mostly sisters, cousins and friends of the boys, who were personally recommended. While the girls lived with their foster families, the boys were placed in a group home and loosely supervised by adults. The girl’s homes were supposed to provide them with a more wholesome and nurturing environment, but instead these girls simply went missing over the years. Even to this day, many of the girls left at the camp (those who were not resettled) are still living with exploitative foster families. These lost girls, the pinnacle of strength when overcoming adversity, are being forced into labour as domestic servants or sex workers. They are being degraded through beatings, rape and cruel mistreatment at the hands of their families, or in many cases other men who pay a bridal fee of between 5-50 cows for them. "They think that war only affected the men," Riak says. "They do have sisters. … We do exist."

Riak moved about her apartment with ease, her sensible heels clacking on the wooden flooring as she disappeared into her kitchen, reappearing with a bowl of mixed nuts and a variety of biscuits, which she proceeded to set on the table. Apologizing immensely about her lack of equittequete at having so little to offer me she encouraged me to eat, continuing to anxiously smooth the fabric of her work pants. Her fidgeting fingers were the only telltale sign of her discomfort, flitting between the chair and the fringe of her blouse, re adjusting the chain around her neck and running across the top of her head. Riak was well adjusted to her new surroundings, but her expression was that of a woman who knew well what she had overcome to get where she was today. A woman who remembered her home before it was a plush Boston apartment and wants to leave her past far behind her.

Riak watched me as I served myself, smiling politely as I did, hands now clamped together on her lap. “I’d just like to say,” she said cautiously, but as I beamed at her, she seemed to shake off some reluctance. “Thank you.”

Some have tried to bring attention to the lost girls and their troubles, but few have been successful in inciting change. In the December of 2000, Julianna Duncan, an anthropologist specializing in refugee children wrote a report about the fate of the lost girls but even then, drama in the Kakuma camp pulled attention. In April of 2001, over 20 employees in the Nairobi UNHCR office were arrested for extorting money from refugees. “The girls were back-burnered again,” said a humanitarian worker who spent four years in Kakuma. The state department gave $6 million in 2003 to support the resettlement program, hoping that more cases would be referred and more lost girls moved, but part of the money was used to create a UNHCR staff position in Kakuma and nearly three years after Duncan’s report, no more lost girls have been referred to the department for resettlement. The situation of the lost girls seems desperate, but women like Riak show that not all hope is lost. Despite their often horrific pasts, and the fact that many lost girls are still overcoming various cultural and social challenges, the lost girls that have persevered and are living in the US have achieved a lot. Many have college degrees, careers and are happily married. Some have even returned to their homes in Sudan and are working with the government to rebuild their country, while others are sharing their stories and educating others on the plight of the lost girls, and the devastation of war.

The dedication and success of the lost girls of South Sudan is evidence of human endurance and faith. Although they continue to be repressed, broken down and ignored these women have shown courage and tenacity despite the trials they have faced. Being raised in a strict culture, facing gender inequality, overcoming their past, searching for a sense of belonging and thriving in a new setting is no easy task. Their lives have been difficult, but they will continue to prevail. Women like Aduei Riak grew up fast, and in adulthood they are even stronger. The lost girls are growing more independent by the day, and now that they understand their own potential, refuse to be left in the shadows.

Bibliography

"The Lost Girls of Sudan Try to Tell Their Story - 2004-08-31." VOA. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. <http://www.voanews.com/content/a-13-a-2004-08-31-29-1-66893542/262006.html>.

"'Lost' in Sudan's Violence, She's Found Hope in USA - USATODAY.com." 'Lost' in Sudan's Violence, She's Found Hope in USA - USATODAY.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. <http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-07-23-lost-girls_N.htm>.

"BlogHer." BlogHer. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. <http://www.blogher.com/frame.php?url=http://allezoup.wordpress.com/2009/01/28/lost-girls/>.

"Bio | Aduei Riak." Bio | Aduei Riak. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. <http://beta.iwlchi.org/2008/bios/Aduei_Riak.html>.

BBC News. BBC, 06 July 2002. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2031286.stm>.

"The Lost Girls of Sudan." BlogHer Editors. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. <http://www.blogher.com/lost-girls-sudan?page=0,0>.
"Opinion." BostonGlobe.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. <http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2013/03/26/how-lost-girls-became-forgotten-girls/hqucGFxsmMYsjnN56LRR5J/story.html>.

Lost Girls

The lost boys of Sudan got to start a new life in America away from the dangers of Sudan whereas the lost girls were left behind in Sudan to face their unknown futures.

By India Bruin

Achol Kuol sits for a minute staring at her good work. The floor is as clean as can be. She hopes her mistress will approve. Achol waits for a minute to see if she can hear her mistress. Thankfully she hears nothing and takes the time to rest before her mistress gives her another job. She looks around the house, although she knows it inside out from cleaning it she looks at it, and imagines what it would be like to own a house as beautiful as this. She imagines how different her life would’ve be if the Sudanese war had not happened or if she had been on the list to go to America. But she did not get chosen and, she was left behind, to serve a family who can’t clean their own house or cook. BANG!! Her dreams are interrupted bringing her back to reality. The noise was caused by her mistress dropping a pot on the ground, trying to get her attention, to tell her to get back to work. But that noise reminded her of something, something that happened when she was just a little child.

Achol Kuol heard the sound of guns the outside her hut. One after the other, bullet after bullet. She ran to the window to see what was happening. People were running in all directions trying to escape their uncertain fate. People were shooting each other, killing each other. Her mother reached for her, took her away from the window and pulled her close. Bending down to face her, a tear rolled down her cheek as she said softly to her daughter. “We have to leave this place if we want to live. We will travel somewhere safe, away from all of the killing, but you have to be brave and never stop walking and never give up.” Her mother pulled her close in for a hug and she could feel the heat of her mothers’ breath on her neck. She forced a smile and kissed her on the head. She was trying to be brave for her daughter. Her mother gathered her four brothers and a few supplies and they left. Trying to escape the sound of bullets.

Achol Kuol was seven when she had to leave her village because of the war that had broken out between the rebels and the government. This was the beginning of the Sudanese civil war. A war that left many dead, but some survived and have had to live with the traumatic events that had happened to them during the war. Many children stared death in the face or watched other children be killed. Children watched as others got eaten by lions, watch their friends die of sickness, disease or hunger.

Achol Kuol ended up walking for many years, first she walked to Ethiopia, back to Sudan and then to South Kenya. She has survived a horrible attempt of kidnap. At age 17 Achol was in a refugee camp when three Sudanese men tried to abduct her, but luckily social workers and other refugees saw what was happening and chased the attackers away. Achol was certain that if her attackers had achieved abducting her, they would have taken her back to Sudan, where they would have forced her into a marriage. In Sudanese culture, girls were encouraged to marry early. In their culture girls were considered of marriageable age as they get their period. In some villages and Sudanese cultures, they held celebrations to let the community know that the girls were ready to be married. Girls who were not mentally or emotionally ready to get married would try to hide their periods for as long as possible, so they don’t have to get married.

Today Achol works as an unpaid servant who cooks, cleans and collects firewood, as many of the surviving lost girls do.

So why did only 89 girls out of 3,700 refugees get sent to America??

The fact that the girls were almost invisible was due to their culture. People in charge of refugee camps tried to give unaccompanied girls into any foster family. Boys were put into group settings, leaving the girls to go back to what they always do with their new foster families, doing chores and housework(traditional female roles). They were often unable to go the camp schools or kids activities as a result of the work they had to attend to.The foster family in which the girls had been placed was supposed to nurture, be kind to and protect them. Instead they didn’t treat them right and, so they took advantage of them, the girls ended up being domestic servants to their foster families or even worse.

Many at that time of poverty used the girls, at a certain age they would sell the girls off to a man and they would get all the riches (dowery). In 1999 the US resettlement project was created and there were qualifications that had to met, such as that the people that they would take to America had to be considered orphans, and since they girls had been living with the family they had been placed with for more than 5 years. They were not considered orphans. They could not go to America to start over. This is why so many boys got the chance to go to America. Many of the lost girls were put into foster families and left to an very uncertain fate, overlooked and forgotten by the outside world. Aduel lived with her foster family but she knew they only wanted to use her, to sell her off to a man so they would get her dowry, "The problem is that my foster-parents could find a rich man, and then they will marry me off. Even if I don't want to go, they will insist."

Most of the boys escaped the attacks because according to Sudanese culture the girls had to cook and clean. Most of the girls had either been in the village cooking and cleaning their home when the war came so they could have been in the houses while it was being burnt to the ground, or kidnapped and sent to be slaves. So even to begin with, not many girls survived, but the ones that did had a hard time.

A refugee camp was not a safe place for young, orphaned girls. Sexual abuse, forced marriages and beatings were what mainly occurred. Aluel was one of these victims. She recalls how she used to live with an elderly guardian when she first arrived in Kakuma Refugee Camp. One night a man crept into her hut and raped her. Today Aluel, and her daughter Monday, live as outcasts because she and her daughter have not been accepted by their Sudanese community. Aduel lives in fear, for she does not want history to repeat itself.

Grace Anyiek walks back from the water stand pipe. She balances the big, heavy can of water on her head. She feels the weight pushing her down, the water moving rapidly inside the can. For every step she takes, the water moves with her. She tries not to spill any, she wants to return back with the most amount of water possible, water is precious. She has a long walk back to town. With the blazing hot sun shining on her face she struggles to keep her eyes open. Grace has not shoes and walks barefoot everywhere. She feels the gravel underneath her feet, piercing her skin as walks along the long dusty road. She must hurry, as soon her guardian will have to leave and she will have to look after the children. Her bright yellow and red shirt flows in the wind. The wind breathes fresh cold air, making the heat bearable. As she walks, the same thought wanders in her mind. Why didn’t she get chosen to go to America, to get a free education? Why not her? She asks herself everyday, but never seems to find an answer that satisfies her. She drops the thought and keeps walking, trying not to bring up the past, as it is too painful.

Grace is one of the surviving lost girls that was left behind. Today she is an unpaid servant, she cooks, cleans, washes, fetches water and looks after her guardian's children. "Why not the girls?" Grace asks, "I would have liked the chance to go abroad. You can be free there. Free to work, free to study.Women are being dominated. Not just in Sudan, but in all of Africa. Maybe people don't think we did much, because they see us as followers of the 'Lost Boys'. But the fact remains ladies were there."

Bibliography:

"Countries and Their Cultures." Dinka. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2013. <http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Rwanda-to-Syria/Dinka.html>.


Matheson, Ishbel. "The 'Lost Girls' of Sudan." BBC News. BBC, 06 July 2002. Web. 16 Mar. 2013. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2031286.stm>.


"Women Refugees: The Lost Girls of Sudan." IVillage UK. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2013. <http://www.ivillage.co.uk/women-refugees-the-lost-girls-sudan/80016>.


McKelvey3, Tara. "3,700 Young Sudanese Refugees Made It to America. Why Are Only 89 of Them Female?" Slate Magazine. N.p., 3 Oct. 2003. Web. 16 Mar. 2013. <http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/foreigners/2003/10/where_are_the_lost_girls.html>.


"The Chronicles of Travelling Womanists." The Chronicles of Travelling Womanists. N.p., 5 Oct. 2010. Web. 16 Mar. 2013. <http://travellingwomanists.wordpress.com/2010/10/05/where-are-the-lost-girls-of-sudan/>.


"The Lost Girls of Sudan Try to Tell Their Story - 2004-08-31." VOA. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. <http://www.voanews.com/content/a-13-a-2004-08-31-29-1-66893542/262006.html>.


Reisman, Suzanne. "The Lost Girls of Sudan." BlogHer Editors. N.p., 24 Nov. 2009. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. <http://www.blogher.com/lost-girls-sudan?page=0,0>. "UNHCR - Women: Seeking a Better Deal." UNHCR News. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.

Never Settled

Refugees who migrate out of a war-crippled Sudan which they call home are never settled. It is common assumption that their problems end once they are given aid and migrate to new countries. Their problems are just beginning.

By Pranav Gurusankar

It is a quiet and hazy Friday morning in downtown Manchester, New Hampshire. Michael David sits on a low stool at the dining table as he anxiously sips his tea and eats his bread. His roommate, also a Sudanese, is still snoring in the bedroom. Moments later, he finishes his breakfast and changes to go to work. His single-bedroom apartment is not big, not larger than 300 square feet, with bare walls and basic furniture. Dressed in a plain purple t-shirt, brown pants and a donated pair of trainers, he hastily makes his way to the nearby packaging plant where he works for a meagre income.

As he approaches a pedestrian crossing, he stops next to a white-skinned woman, possibly American. She gives him an apprehensive glance and slowly edges away. Although this is normal for Michael, having lived in the U.S. for three years after migrating from Sudan, he still cannot accept that he is different; that he is not part of the community. As he continues to walk, he ruminates on his encounter. A single question comes to his mind: “Why can’t I fit in?”

Refugees who migrate out of South Sudan are never settled. It is common assumption that their problems end once they are given aid and are not further exposed to the brutal violence that goes on in the war-crippled country which they call home. Their problems are just beginning.

When North Sudan and South Sudan became one in 1956, their country was rocked by war and savage violence. There was constant dispute between the two nations, both with populations of different ethnicities, and this ultimately resulted in a bloody civil war, which killed 1.2 million people and left approximately 5.5 million as homeless refugees, a large portion of which still remain in Sudan today (1). Every year hundreds and thousands of refugees migrate from Sudan to other countries, mostly in the Gulf, but also as far as the Americas. Yet even after being housed in a refugee camp and given shelter, rations, more problems arise for the refugees (2). It seems that no matter where these people live or how successful they are, they are entwined in a seemingly never-ending struggle for a ‘normal’ life.

As Michael walks toward the packaging plant, he realizes that he is early and stops by a roadside cafe, where he sits and orders a sandwich. He realizes that he hasn’t had a filling breakfast, but it was all he could afford to eat, while his roommate took the remainder of the food. While he waits for his meal, Michael’s thoughts wander once again, this time to the subject of freedom. This ultimately brings his thoughts to his life as a slave. Sweat beads his forehead.

His story began in 1989, when the war had broken out and Islamic militias, known as the Murahaleen, raided his village in South Sudan and killed his father, uncle and aunts in cold blood, deeming them as ‘rebel sympathisers’ (3). The next day, the Murahaleen returned to his village and captured Michael, his mother and his brother at gunpoint. They were beaten and taken North, where they were separated and sold to a slave market.

An Arab Muslim from the North ‘bought’ Michael and took him to his home, where was regularly beaten as he tended the livestock, cleaned the house and watched his ‘owner’’s children. He heard death threats every day from the man and was given rotten food to eat while he slept outside, beside the livestock. “He assured me that I was a slave and that he could kill me at any time; as he wished” (4) Michael says.

Most boys from Southern Sudan who survived the raids were left without family, as most adults in the villages were killed or fled. The women that weren’t dead were abducted and taken to the North, where they were sold as slaves (5). Many boys from each village, being the fastest runners and the least important target of the Murahaleen, would flee into the jungles and join groups of hundreds of other boys, known as the Lost Boys, on walks to refugee camps. However, some children too were abducted by the Murahaleen and sold as slaves to Arab Muslims, mostly merchants, in North Sudan. The money was paid to the Murahaleen and the children would be subjected to forced labor at an Arab household, where even the children of the household were allowed to fiercely beat them. Such slaves were given many jobs around the household, such as looking after the children of the ‘owner’, cleaning the house, tending to crops and livestock and taking out trash (6). In return, the slaves were given rotten or leftover food, which gave them painful infections. They were also left to sleep next to the livestock in a stable. The slave trade was one of the fiercest and harshest realities of the Sudan genocide.

By now it is mid-morning, and Michael gets up from his table, pays his bill and thanks the waitress as he walks out of the cafe and toward the plant. His sandwich is half-eaten. For some time Michael’s walk is jumpy, as though something is bothering him, but the feeling slowly fades. He glances up to the church clock on the opposite street and realizes his shift begins in half an hour. Michael speeds up his walk and hurriedly makes his way toward the packaging plant.

Three years ago, Michael arrived in America penniless and in wonder of his surroundings. Before boarding the flight from Cairo, Michael had no clue of what the world outside Africa would hold for him. He had not seen, much less talked to a person who was not Sudanese. As he entered his new apartment, he could only stand in awe at his new, ‘posh’ home. Six months after arriving in the U.S., the Lutheran Refugee Services found Michael a job in a packaging plant and stopped his full sponsorship soon after. Most refugees in America are initially sponsored for six to eight months after their arrival by non-profit or world-aid groups (7), until they find jobs and have settled in. Most Sudanese refugees cannot afford to pay rent for a house for themselves, so it is common to find that they share their homes with one or more people. The jobs that the refugees find in America usually pay little- barely enough for them to survive on- due to their lack of qualifications.

Refugees from Sudan are regularly approved for resettlement in other countries as citizens. Usually these refugees are sent for resettlement from refugee camps, however there are odd cases where a refugee escapes into a country, directly meets an NGO and is sent for resettlement after narrating his life story (8). Often, the refugee camps that send people for resettlement are outside of Sudan, and refugees are sent to various countries across the globe. However, most of these countries lie in the Gulf, in Europe, in Oceania and in North America; most Lost Boys are sent to the United States (9). The refugees usually have little knowledge the world outside of Sudan and their refugee camps. When they arrive in developed, first-world countries such as the U.S., they are overwhelmed by the emotions that they experience- it normally takes the Boys over half-a-year to familiarize themselves with their surroundings. Another problem is their education. Because most, if not all Lost Boys haven’t had a proper education other than the makeshift schools in some refugee camps, they are only able to find jobs where the salary is modest and just enough to get by. Most boys dream of a successful life and try to live their dreams by applying for scholarships to schools and universities.

After a short walk, Michael arrives at the packaging plant in downtown Manchester. It is a large plant, with four blocks, each as large as two aircraft hangars. The walls are furnished in pale grey color and white smoke comes out from large chimney stacks atop the buildings. Strangely, the workers’ entry queue into the plant is long. Michael has never felt comfortable around so many people. As he approaches the security check, he notices that the officer on duty is new. “Are you a refugee?” is the first thing the officer asks him. “Did you come from Africa recently?”. Michael is unsurprised by the question. It seems that no matter where Michael lives, he will never belong.

1. "Refugees of Sudan." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Apr. 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugees_of_Sudan>.

2. "Sudanese Refugee Camp Horrific, Says MSF." BBC News. BBC, 07 June 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2013. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18739030>.

3. "Michael - USA for UNHCR." Michael - USA for UNHCR. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. <http://www.unrefugees.org/site/c.lfIQKSOwFqG/b.4803771/k.C5AB/Michael.htm>.

4. "Michael - USA for UNHCR." Michael - USA for UNHCR. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. <http://www.unrefugees.org/site/c.lfIQKSOwFqG/b.4803771/k.C5AB/Michael.htm>.

5. "Refugee Background - Sudan." Refugee Background - Sudan. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2013. <http://worldrelief.org/page.aspx?pid=1163>.

6. "Refugees of Sudan." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Apr. 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugees_of_Sudan>.

7. Eggers, Dave. What Is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng : A Novel. San Francisco: McSweeney's, 2006. Print.

8. "David from Sudan." David from Sudan. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. <http://www.ras.unimelb.edu.au/Refugees_Australian_Stories/David/index.html>.

9. "Struggling to Bring Orphaned Family to Canada." CBC Radio. CBC, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2013. <http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/Local+Shows/Ontario/ID/2340945998/>.