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Ali A. Abdalla
Mr. Jackson
Language Arts/ Social Studies
30 April 2013
The Lost Boys Transition to the U.S.
The Lost Boys incredible journey began 15 years ago, Correspondent Bob Simon reports,
in the center of Sudan's civil war in which two million people died. Their parents were killed;
many sisters were sold into slavery. Many boys died, too. But the lucky ones started walking to
the refugee camps. How many more died of starvation, thirst or enemy fire nobody will know.
But in 1992, about five years after their long march began; thousands found the refugee camp in
Kenya. And for more than a year, many have been getting ready for another journey to a strange
foreign land. We also see how they feel on that journey. ("The Lost Boys - CBS News"). The
camps are already over capacitated says Mr. Hassan they were designed for about 90,000 lost
boys in 1991, and now have almost three times that number now. (Baldauf). One of the 90,000
lost boys is Joseph Lueth. The last time Joseph Lueth saw his parents he was 7. That's when
militiamen invaded his village in southern Sudan. All the boys fled on foot to Ethiopia. Now 21,
Lueth can't believe how his life has changed. Just four years after his arrival in Jackson, he has
an apartment, a job at a Medical Center and he drives a Ford Escort to his classes at his
Community College."Many people walked from Sudan to Ethiopia and Kenya - just barefoot,"
Lueth said. "Right now when I sit in my car I feel like I'm somebody."Like the other "Lost Boys"
Lueth is a survivor. He is just one of 15,000 Sudanese refugees forced out of their country as
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"Lost Boys". The group got the name "Lost Boys" because they've spent years going from
refugee camp to refugee camp. Many think they are orphans."I want to find where my parents
are," Lueth said. "I can't do anything without peace." ("Lost Boys of Sudan"). "I left my beloved
country, Sudan, in 1989, due to the outbreak of civil war... We walked hundreds of miles to
Ethiopia, seeking safety ... We became prey for the lions and many other wild animals. There
was no food and water ... After we reached Ethiopia, we ended up not staying long because of
the change in government in Ethiopia in 1991. So we had to flee back again to Sudan. This time
was the rainy season, and many rivers had started overflowing. Many people were drowned
while crossing the rivers. Soon after our arrival in Sudan, we automatically began facing the
threat of increased fighting between Southern rebels and the government troops from the north.
The government began bombarding the places we had settled, so we were forced to set out again,
this time to Kenya." ("Lost Boys of Sudan")
We are going to see Heaths adopted Lost Boys felt in Sudan and compare to how they
feel in America. Heath and her husband, who have five children already, are going to take care
for three more lost boys, including 18-year old Boutros Kuony. Kuony was five when Sudan’s
civil war tore his life apart. He tries to forget all the memories. "Now if I think about it, it is too
bad to me," he says. "It always gives me some sickness." Kuony still can't remember the last
time he saw his parents. (Jewell and Raddatz). Since 1992, UNICEF has gotten nearly 1,200 kids
with their families. But about 17,000 are still in the camps in the region. They are called the lost
boys because they had to protect themselves without any parents or elders. The kids set out for
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an extraordinary journey across Africa that got them to Ethiopia, back to Sudan and to the
refugee camps in Kenya. Three years ago, the U.S. government allowed 3,600 Lost Boys go and
begin new lives in America. ("The Lost Boys of the Sudan"). "I don't worry now those if I sleep
that people are going to shoot me," says Abraham Maker, who arrived in the US in 2001 with
thousands of others. "I do not worry now about war," says Abraham, who was adopted by a
family and now lives in Connecticut near New York, where he plays soccer and is a runner for
his high school team. Three months ago he never saw a dollar bill other than the picture they
showed during the class in which people helped them learn about the U.S. Flushing toilets was
new so was electricity, running water, and stairs. Yet, during the lunch hour on Sunday afternoon
at his work (McDonald's) the teenager rang up the orders for more food than he’s ever seen
anybody eat. At least much more food than he had seen at the refugee camps.
Only about half of all Kenyans have access to basic health care. Hospital patients have to
provide their own medicine and meals. Also some of the world’s oldest human fossils have been
found in Kenya. (“Kenya."16) At 17,058 feet (5,199 m), Mount Kenya is one of the nation’s
highest peaks and also the highest in Africa. Its peak is capped by snow even though it’s located
on the equator, where it gets really hot lots of the time. The Kikuyu name for Mt. Kenya is
Kirinyaga, or "mountain of brightness." In English. ("Kenya."17) The Life Expectancy of an
average Kenyan is 46 years old. ("Kenya Facts")
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Works Cited
Baldauf, Scott. "Refugee Camps in Kenya Brace for Some 20,000 Somalis; Threatened by
Islamic Militant Group, Al Shabab, the World Food Program Last Week Decided to Pull
out of Southern Somalia. UN Aid Agencies in Kenya Are Planning for an Increase of
Refugees into Already-packed Refugee Camps." Christian Science Monitor 11 Jan. 2010.
Global Issues In Context. Web. 17 Apr. 2013.
Goffe, Leslie. "Sudan's 'lost Boys' in America." BBC News. N.p., 31 Aug. 2004. Web. 10 Apr.
2013.
Jewell, J. O., and Martha Raddatz. "Sudan's Lost Boys Find Shelter In America - ABC News."
ABCNews.com - Breaking News, Politics, Online News, World News, Feature Stories,
Celebrity Interviews and More - ABC News. ABCNew.com, 21 Jan. 2001. Web. 15 Apr.
2013.
"Kenya." CultureGrams Kids Edition. ProQuest, 2013. Web. 16 Apr 2013.
"Kenya Facts." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.
Kohn, David. "Lost Boys II: Life In America - CBS News." Breaking News Headlines: Business,
Entertainment & World News - CBS News. N.p., 11 Feb. 2009. Web. 1 May 2013.
Le, Phuong C. "The Lost Boys of Sudan: Finding Their Way in America." SeattlePi. SEATTLE
POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF, 19 July 2001. Web. 18 Apr. 2013.
"The Lost Boys - CBS News." CBS News - Breaking News Headlines: Business, Entertainment
& World News. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.
"Lost Boys of Sudan." GlobalSecurity.org - Reliable Security Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 1
May 2013.
"The Lost Boys of the Sudan." Children in War. N.p., 1996. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.
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