243: lost boys of Sudan doing well

I found this fascinating and uplifting article on Allafrica.com today, and in doing so I learned much more about the 'lost boys of Sudan'. As the article outlines, in the 1980s, whilst southern Sudan was in the grip of civil war, thousands of young boys fled across the border to Ethiopia, hoping to escape death or forced conscription into armed militias. For a while they lived in camps there, but when the Ethiopian authorities sent them back to Sudan they fled again... Many died in the process, but those who survived - around 10,000 boys - finally made it to UN camps in Kenya. Some 3,800 boys were then resettled in the US. Today's linked article reports on the progress made by some of these boys since arriving in the US in 2000-2001, and their achievements are pretty impressive. Many study alongside paid work, gradually improving their English and gaining US qualifications. Some have now returned to a more peaceful southern Sudan, but most wish to stay in the US and make the most of the opportunities this offers them. As the article suggests, the lost boys' story says a lot about the resilience of young men and their ability to achieve, against the odds, when given the right support. As such it offers hope not just for these boys and for Sudan, but for boys across the world and those who care for them.

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I found a lot of information about the lost boys of Sudan on the internet, if you want to read more. In fact, an award-winning film has been made about them - called Lost Boys of Sudan - and it has been screened on PBS, I gather. The film's website also contains educational resources and advocacy materials related to Darfur.