Lost Boys of Sudan Speak at Upper School Assembly

Hawken`s Speaker Series recently featured Akol Madut and Amiol Arop, two of the nearly 27,000 "Lost Boys" separated from their parents and forced to flee their war-torn country in 1987. The young men spoke of their 14-year struggle for survival amidst threats of bombings, starvation, dehydration, disease, and wild animals, and their efforts to support one another by establishing makeshift families. Akol recalled being given a gun after fleeing to Ethiopia; he was shown how to shoot and forced to the front line. He was ten years old. Both boys watched thousands of their "brothers" die and faced daily the possibility of their own deaths. After years of being "lost" in the wilderness, in war-torn countries, and in refugee camps, nearly 4000 Lost Boys who survived were brought to America. Akol and Amiol were among the 37 of those boys who came to Cleveland in 2001. The transition to American culture has not been easy. Akol and Amiol spoke light-heartedly about their naivete when it came to things like navigating an escalator and ordering from fast food menus, but they acknowledge - albeit with gratitude and a smile - that life has not been easy here. Without an education or applicable skills, finding a job in a new country brought challenges. But they are survivors, working hard and relying on whatever support they can find to build a new life in unfamiliar territory. Yet their hearts are still in Sudan, where their people face hardships of a different sort, and where Hawken`s $500 donation to the Lost Boys will be sent to support the building of wells in their native village.