They traveled at night to avoid aerial bombardment and the daytime heat. Most just six or seven years old, they fled to Ethiopia to escape death or induction into the northern army. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Program. He and his cousin were tending the family cattle when North Sudanese militia struck the town. What would he say to the woman who, three decades ago, thrust a few days' supply of ground peanut and corn snacks into his hands and sent him and his older cousins into uncertain fate? Mr. MAJOK: It was a joyous moment for me to reunite with my family after six years of separation. We were chased to the edge of a big river that ran very fast, called Gillo. CORLEY: Well, we are talking to John Majok, who recently returned to Kenya and the refugee camp that housed him after fleeing his war-torn home in Sudan. They walked more than a thousand miles, half of them dying before reaching Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. [3][4], The boys embarked on treacherous journeys to refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya where thousands were sheltered for several years. The IRC also helped these young entrepreneurs start savings accounts and access small loans to invest in their futures. Jan. 5, 2003 12 AM PT. But, you know, we are willing to learn and just be able to put yourself in the society you can just learn. I was good at climbing trees, but not at swimming. People dead.". They were somehow yelling at each other while whispering at the same time. [27][28], Not unlike other parts of Africa, Sudanese women were viewed as subordinate to men in families and villages. [30] Because these girls had been living within a family unit for anywhere from 914 years, they were no longer considered orphans, and therefore were ineligible for the resettlement program. And even though the majority attended school within Kakuma camp and had completed or were well on their way to completing high school, they did not necessarily qualify for entry into U.S. colleges. Artem Ryzhykov during the early days of the Russian invasion, in Irpin, Ukraine. Ask students if they're familiar with Peter Pan's Lost Boyscharacters in the J.M. Relief workers called them the Lost Boys after the characters in the J.M. The media has focused on a group of refugee children internationally referred to as the "Lost Boys" of Sudan. CORLEY: Well, you were only - were you 6 or 7 years old when the war erupted and your story began? In the next few years, an estimated 20,000 Sudanese children fled their homeland in search of safety in what turned out to be a treacherous 1,000-mile journey to Ethiopia. The dialogue during the two dinner parties from hell is wonderfully bitchy and witty. Julieta is a member of The Dallas Morning News editorial board. So I want people just to keep themselves from bringing anything that cause harm to any other human being, but then put the principle of life as the number one in everything we do, because what we do affect other people somewhere. This was in 1992. Two million were killed and others were severely affected by the conflict. Lost Boys of Sudan the Emmy-Nominated, Critically Acclaimed Documentary. I ran with thousands of other young children in a very hard journey we made it across the desert all the way to Ethiopia. Tell me why you chose public administration. It took me a long time to realize that I have gained a lot from living with so many people in the refugee camps. Many refugees settled in at Pashala not so much a refugee camp as a desperate gathering of displaced people, just inside the Ethiopian border near Boma National Park. I didn't know that the people who were living with me were all gone. Eventually the bombing would start again, and they continued south, first to Kapeota, then to Narus. I just cannot imagine it. "People drowned in the river," said Ayuen, now a medical technician at an assisted living facility in Dallas. But then, during his sophomore year of high school, this: "One morning, my foster mom just dropped me off at the school bus. The Amazing Story of a Lost Boy from South Sudan! Salva Dut Yes, there were some who struggled adjusting to America. Ask: What physical aspects of Sudan contribute to civil unrest? When you reach out to them, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource. [32], Although there is much attention directed toward the Lost Boys, common historical narratives often ignore their counterparts, the Lost Girls. . They fled the country on foot via arduous cross-country treks and spent years in refugee camps. No school = no homework, which is fine by me. In Buma, I found the UN and they announced that they would take the little children. From there, we went to a place called Buma. The plot follows the circumstances of their horrific experiences from living during a civil war and then moving to the United States as refugees to seek education and opportunity. We all had to jump down. The Lost Boys of Sudan are a group of Dinka youth who fled civil war in their native country, spent a decade growing up in a Kenyan refugee camp, and were eventually resettled in the United States. It was difficult for the camps to provide sufficient food for the hundreds of boys arriving daily. [26] Moreover, a 2005 study found that 20% of Lost Boys under the age of 18 suffered from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. And so, we just walked, went into hiding place, (unintelligible), and then we walk that distance to a (unintelligible). Mr. MAJOK: Well, it's sort of funny, because we had been dating each other over the phone. Worse still, when he got home his foster mother ("a wonderful woman") grounded him for just for wanting to punch the other boy. Include geographic features, animals, and and plant life in your drawing. The effects intensified once they reached Ethiopia's Pinyudo refugee camp, where latrines were in short supply. What troubles you most about the refugee/asylum situation in the U.S.? Lost Boys of Sudan PBS Premiere: Sept. 28, 2004 Check the broadcast schedule One Day I Had to Run My first memories of my childhood start when I was about five years old in my homeland of Sudan, the day when my parents' house was burned. Write a minimum of four diary entries from the perspective of a Lost Boy, describing his journey and major events in his life. Not all made it. So I remember how I was so adjusted walking day and night nonstop, because the journey was so long, and we spent some day maybe taking rest, then we would have perished like others who did not make it because they were thirst on the way, hunger, wild animals, and so we were just walking day and night until we reached, where we eventually arrived, which was Ethiopia in 1987. There was no UN, no nothing. food items consumed by . CORLEY: Here you are. Now South Sudan is facing a humanitarian catastrophe and an upsurge of violence between ethnic groups. Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service. CORLEY: All right. The boys hid in the woods and soon fell in with a ragtag group of other boys who'd escaped the carnage, now walking out of the country. And those values, especially my dad, who inspired me to be determined and goal oriented, I still remember his words. Still, "for him to see his mom will be a sign that his family is still there," he said. "I always ask people in this country, when was the last time you drank your own urine?" I stayed flat and waited until nighttime. Volunteers at the IRC's Boston office (now closed) took part in a mentoring program for newly arrived Kakuma youth, providing support and guidance, and organizing recreational activities to bring the young men together. Upon their arrival in the camps in Ethiopia, the boys were placed into boys-only areas of the camp. Then hope came from the other side of the world when he was 15. Volunteers, many of whom became aware of the immense needs of this group through media coverage, also played a significant role in this area. Lost Boys of Sudan is a very different kind of documentary than Super Size Me -- in tone, ambition, and ultimately reach -- but it is in many ways a model for social issue filmmakers. For example, when they swam in the river I couldn't do it because the crocodiles would pick on me. Artem Ryzhykov, as told to David Lepeska This first-person story was told by filmmaker-turned-soldier Artem Ryzhykov to David Lepeska, a longtime reporter whose first book, "Desiccated Land: An American in Kashmir," is set for publication this month. Marc Ramirez is a Dallas-based lifestyles journalist and food and drink enthusiast who would rather think about what's for lunch than anything on his to-do list. "We talked to the doctor and he said the chances were not good for him to go," Machok said. Issues such as racial prejudice and class privilege come up as the two try to adjust to new lives in the United States. I laughed out loud when I read these scenes. One Day I Had to Run | Lost Boys of Sudan | POV | PBS Copyright 2007 NPR. And also, the highlight of my visit was that I got married to my beautiful wife whom I promised - we made our promises before I came here that this was going to be our plan, and we kept our promises. [29][19] Resettlement to the US made it easier for many of the Lost Boys to reconnect with family members via western technology. The International Rescue Committee helped hundreds of them to start new lives in cities across the country. The Lost Boys of Sudan | International Rescue Committee (IRC) They served as an essential link to the greater community, helping to generate additional employment opportunities, as well as increase donations and awareness. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. Lost Boys of Sudan | POV - PBS They never found his body. The tenuous peace held, and in 2011 southern Sudan held a referendum in which its people almost unanimously decided to secede from Sudan and form a new nation. He had put on a dark-colored suit and a striped shirt just for her. Students summaries should include: This activity targets the following skills: The resources are also available at the top of the page. The Sudanese conflict, which incited the journey of the Lost Boys, stemmed from divisions among the Arabic-speaking Islamic Northerners and the Christian, Roman Catholic, and indigenous religions in the South. Lost Boys of Sudan :: A Documentary Film by Megan Mylan and Jon Shenk Mr. MAJOK: Yeah, my mother and my sister, they are the only surviving members. She has also contributed to the paper's immigration beat. For nearly three hours, But waited for his mother at the international arrivals gate at DFW International Airport. He finished up by saying: "To conclude: I just want to say that the decision I made of nonviolence has had a long-term positive outcome.". Many girls were physically and/or sexually abused by their host families, raped by other refugees during activities such as fetching water or food rations, and occasionally, even sold as brides for profit. Since 1983, the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and the Sudanese government have been at war within the southern region of Sudan. It was a little bit scary.". The conflict displaced an estimated 5 million Sudanese. Many of them went on to earn college degrees and attain U.S. citizenship, while wondering whether they would someday have the opportunity to return to their homeland and reunite with the families they left behind. In 1994, I went back to Sudan. Urgent aid needed in Sudan and neighboring Chad. Of these, about 20,000 were young boys orphaned by the war who trekked barefoot across the country to refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia.. [8] Children were highly marginalized during this period. Taking a head count before they left, and another when they arrived. Nobody can believe it that I can speak 14 different languages. As a result, relatively few of the Lost Girls were able to benefit from the resettlement program to the US. "We didn't have an option but to drink our own urine.". Jacob Atem, who fled Sudan as a boy, was one of the storytellers at "Stoop Stories," a Baltimore event. There was fighting. They were known as the Lost Boys. With my classmates, I don't compare myself to them. Why did you choose a career in humanitarian health? The Foreign Office yesterday urged all Brits still in Sudan to travel to the southern port by 12pm local time (11am GMT) in order to board the final evacuation flight and escape the deadly . the Sudan, many young Sudanese were transferred south to the Kakuma refugee camp in Northern Kenya. I don't know how, but the river was moving so fast it brought me to the other side. So here we are. By signing up you agree to ourTerms of ServiceandPrivacy Policy. I needed to get across the river. Its programs expanded over time to include all of the camps health services: treating refugees who arrived malnourished or sick, offering rehabilitation programs for those who were disabled, and working to prevent outbreaks of disease. They fled the country on foot via arduous cross-country treks and spent years in refugee camps. Just as things got a little better with food, the enemy from Ethiopia crossed the border and the fighting began again. I was living with a group of children in Panyido, Ethiopia who had also lost their families. Help the IRC continue to bring critical support to Sudan and other crisis zones around the world. May 1, 2023. Would he recognize her? Some children were able to avoid capture or death because they were away from their villages tending cattle at the cattle camps (grazing land 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. To John Bul Dau, the story is all too familiar. Geography, Human Geography, Physical Geography, Social Studies, World History, This lists the logos of programs or partners of NG Education which have provided or contributed the content on this page. A lot of refugees around me were dying from diarrheal diseases, from preventable diseases. Make sure each group has one set of outline maps of Sudan, Africa, the world, and the United States. What refugees want is to come to this country, work hard, get their education and give back to society as I did. "We were crossing rivers and forest. [16], Initially, most of the fleeing boys went to a refugee camp in Ethiopia, until the war in 1991 sent the boys fleeing again to a different refugee camp called Kakuma,[17] which is located in Kenya. [11] Ultimately, being raised in a refugee camp significantly altered their development and ability to assimilate into regular life.[19]. I had to be scared all the time. My sister and two of my nieces were taken during the war into slavery. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media. My parents and 2.5 million people were killed in the Sudan civil war.
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