Sudanese Lost Boys of Cleveland

Updated: 05/05/2008

Welcome to the Sudanese Lost Boys of Cleveland website.  The Lost Boys in Cleveland need your help.  We are looking for dedicated, compassionate people to help encourage this extraordinary group of men.

Monthly call for Help...

Click here to Learn how you can help our Lost Boys most in March.

Saturday, May 17th - Bowl-A-Thon at Fairview Lanes - for details go to Upcoming Events.

The Sudanese Lost Boys of Cleveland was formed with the following ideas in mind:

• To educate, we came here with hope of better education so that we will be able to help ourselves, our poor country and the people we left behind.

• For safety reasons, we need assistance to get affordable and safe housing.

• To promote peace and unity between the Sudanese Lost Boys of Cleveland and the community, we want to let people know that we came to the United States to live in peace, to love and to be loved by our neighbors.

• To be the voice of Cleveland Lost boys in order to let the public know the issues we are having. Our web site will be available for those who want to know more about us and may be interested in helping us.

• To generate some money through fund raising, we want to be able to help ourselves by proposing some projects which will generate funds.

Who are the Sudanese Lost Boys of Cleveland?  by Martin Dek

The Civil war that started in 1983 between the Arab North and the Christian South has affected each and every community of the Great Southern Sudan. All the communities of Southern Sudan were totally uprooted by the war, leaving them no other choice but escape for their life.

By the beginning of 1987, there were no other places to hide in the Southern Sudan , some hid in the bushes but there was no food to be eaten, not mentioning wild animals and diseases. As a result the civil war drove an estimated twenty thousand or more young boys from their families when our villages in Southern Sudan were burnt down. Most of us were about six or seven years old.  When things got worse, we fled to Ethiopia to escape death and/or slavery from the northern army (Arabs). We walked a thousand miles through lion and crocodile inhabitant forests; starvation and thirst were the most enemies of all.

The running wasn’t over yet, when the war broke out again in Ethiopia between the Ethiopian government and its rebels our camps were attacked forcing everybody to flee for their life.  We ran back to Sudan where the Sudanese Government Arab forces start attacking us from the air and on the ground. On the way thousands of people mostly young men died of hunger, diseases and thirst, fifty percent died. With the help of God, we reached the northern Kenyan border where the Red Cross rescued us by providing water and some food which was not enough since there were a lot of people. While at the border, the Red Cross began transporting the sick to Kakuma and then those left behind walked a distant of about 100 miles to reach Kakuma Refugee Camp.

After fourteen years of being lost and suffering, living on one meal a day, we were able to begin pursuing our educational goals in the Kakuma Refugee camp where some completed  high school educations and others finished Primary school.  In 1999, the process to help the Lost Boys was started; and nearly 4,000 Lost Boys were brought to the United States . Many hoped for peace, freedom, and education upon their arrival. Unfortunately, the challenges of starting a new life in the U.S. without a family support network have kept many of them from continuing their education and career and raising concerns for their safety in this strange new world.

The first Lost Boys (more than 30) arrived in Cleveland in February 2001, but some departed to other parts of country to join their friends from Sudan. Currently, 29 Lost Boys are in Cleveland; almost all are struggling to establish a reasonable life for themselves. The recent tragic loss of one of the Lost Boys (Majok Madut), who was killed at a bus stop for no known reason, has made their lives more depressing.

Since the loss of their beloved brother, many have major concerns for their safety and question their future in this community.  This uncertainty has forced them to form an association that would allow them to grow together as a group. The association was named "Sudanese Lost Boys of Cleveland" and will be in remembrance of our late brother Majok Madut.

Click HERE to Contact us.

Friends of the Sudanese Lost Boys of Cleveland

Mission Statement:

The Friends of the Sudanese Lost Boys of Cleveland (FSLBC) is a non-profit volunteer-based organization dedicated to assisting the Sudanese Lost Boys of Cleveland in their transition from struggling refugees to self-sufficient citizens.  FSLBC intends to empower the Sudanese to develop into productive, contributing members of our society by assisting them in their understanding of, and adaptation to, the American social, economic, and political institutions, while maintaining and celebrating their cultural roots and identity.

Specific goals of the Friends of the Sudanese Lost Boys of Cleveland

• To assist the Sudanese Lost Boys of Cleveland who wish to pursue a GED in finding appropriate class locations and schedules.

• To assist in furthering and funding the college or trade school ambitions of the Sudanese Lost Boys of Cleveland.

• To provide tutors and other educational assistance, such as filling out applications and acquiring necessary educational supplies, for the Sudanese Lost Boys of Cleveland.

• To assist the Sudanese Lost Boys of Cleveland to find safe, affordable housing.

• To assist the Sudanese Lost Boys of Cleveland to meet future housing goals such as home ownership.

• To support the Sudanese Lost Boys of Cleveland in their pursuit of United States citizenship by assisting with finances, exam preparation, and the application process.

• To establish mentor relationships between the Sudanese Lost Boys of Cleveland and members of the Cleveland community.

• To assist the Sudanese Lost Boys of Cleveland with medical and dental needs.

• To assist the Sudanese Lost Boys in their employment goals; helping them prepare for and seek out well-paying jobs with  good benefits.

• To provide opportunities for the Sudanese to engage with the Cleveland community and educate Clevelanders about their experiences and their culture.

• To raise funds necessary to accomplish these goals.

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