READING 2 The Lost Boys of Sudan Then and Now

The LOST BOYS of SUDAN

THEN AND NOW

Author Dave Eggers (right) wrote What Is the What, a novel based on the experiences of Valentino Achak Deng (left), one of the “lost boys” of Sudan.

Read the following article. Pay special attention to the words in bold. 9.3

In addition to immigrants, the United States takes in thousands of refugees a year. One group of refugees that came in the 1980s were known as the Lost Boys of Sudan. They were a large number of children, mostly boys between the ages of 4 and 12, who were forced to leave their homes in South Sudan. One day, while these young boys were in the field taking care of their cattle1 , their villages were attacked. They ran for their lives. For three months, they walked hundreds of miles until they reached Ethiopia.

During their escape, many died. Those who reached Ethiopia stayed in refugee camps until 1991, when a war started in Ethiopia and the camps were closed. They ran again, back to Sudan and then to Kenya, where they stayed in refugee camps for almost ten years. Of the approximately 27,000 boys who fled Sudan, only 11,000 survived.

During their time in refugee camps, they got some schooling and learned basic English. In 1999, the United Nations and the U.S. government agreed to resettle 3,800 Lost Boys in the United States.

When they arrived in the United States, many challenges awaited them. They had to learn a completely new way of life. Many things were new for them: apartment living in a big city, strange foods, new technologies, and much more.

Agencies helped the Lost Boys with money for food and rent until they found jobs. While they were working, most of them enrolled in English classes. Many have now graduated from college and started projects to help their villages back home.

Valentino Achak Deng, who arrived in the U.S. in 2001 and settled in Atlanta, Georgia, is one of many refugees who have given back to their home countries after years of struggle. When Deng and author Dave Eggers met in 2006, they began collaborating on a story. The result was the novel What Is the What?, which tells of Deng’s experience in Sudan and in the United States. With the money from the book, Deng opened a school in his hometown of Marial Bai, South Sudan. He also started a foundation, the Valentino Achak Deng Foundation, to help educate children in South Sudan.

When Deng reflected on his life experience, he said, “The lesson I can draw is that people can always learn, come through tough times, and persevere and grow.”