history
"All the communities of Southern Sudan were totally uprooted by the war, leaving them no other choice but escape for their life."
Left without a choice
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.
