Lost Boys of Sudan

Thursday, January 15th, 2009
by AmandaMa

Most people do not have any knowledge on what the effects of the civil wars in Sudan have done to the civilians. The Second Sudanese Civil War was a continuation of the First Civil War, which started in 1955 and ended in 1972. The second war started in 1983 and ended in 2005. The cause of the conflict was religious differences between north and south Sudan.  The war ended with a peace treaty between the two, but since the north had military superiority the south diminished and little was achieved for them.

In Sudan more than 27,000 boys were either displaced or orphaned because of the Second Sudanese Civil War. The boys were able to escape because they were working outside of their villages in jungles. These boys have been named the “Lost Boys” and they went through a remarkable journey just to gain some kind of safety away from the chaotic war. It was mainly boys who went on the journey because most of the women and girls of the villages were raped, taken as slaves, killed, or adopted.  They were starving and did not even have shoes to walk in, so they were walking miles barefoot.  They had to deal with disease, starvation, death, and intense weather conditions. The older boys took care of the younger boys along with taking care of themselves.

A benefit that I attended opened my eyes to a horrible issue that still has effect on citizens of Sudan. At the benefit, there was a screening of a documentary, “God Grew Tired of Us”, which was very interesting. It showed what life was like before three of the refugee’s came to America and their life adapting to America. They had to adapt to the different foods, culture, and everything. They couldn’t believe that they had electricity in their home. Things that everyone in most places people take for granted were like a luxury to the refugee’s.  They were able to have medical treatment and even education.

Even though some of Sudan’s Lost Boys were rescued there are many still in need of help from organizations. As much help as they receive they will always be very traumatized by the horrible events that they saw and experienced.

Thanks to many organizations, many refugees were given chances like the boys from the film. An organization in particular is Ninemillion.org or also known as UNHCR. UNHCR is one of the world’s main humanitarian agencies. The staff of 6,540 are currently helping 32.8 million people “of concern” in 116 countries. In just a half of a century, the agency has provided assistance to more than 50 million people and it earned two Nobel Peace Prizes in 1954 and 1981. There are still a great number of people in need that deserve the right to start a new life in a safe environment. You can visit www.ninemillion.org or www.unhcr.org to learn how you can help with

not only Sudan but also other countries in need.

Photo credit: Rita Willaert

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