Former ‘Lost Boy’ Addresses Senate Caucus

On June 30, 2005 Adier Deng adressed the U.S. Senate's Black Legislative Caucus about his experiences as one of the "Lost Boys" of Sudan, a group of young people, mostly boys and some girls, who had been separated from their families in Sudan's protracted civil war, and subsequently ended up in a Kenyan refugee camp, where they had lived since 1992. He also spoke about his future hopes for his homeland. In 2001 LIRS referred Deng to Bethany Christian Services, Grand Rapids, Mich., for foster care services. We reprint the speech here with his permission, and with just a few changes in punctuation and formatting for clarity.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Brothers and sisters in Christ, our fathers and mothers, greeting to each and all of you. You give me a great pleasure to be here today and to introduce myself to you. I also greet all of you in the name of human being and human progresses. I also greet you with appreciation for you efforts to bring our students back together. I also greet guests who are here.

Let me begin with introducing my self to you:

I am from Southern Sudan; Sudan is the largest country in Africa located in North, East and Central part of the Continent.

Sudan as in the historical context of the ancient times, the name Sudan erupted during and after the coming of Arabs in Africa. The name Sudan means (Bilaad- El-Sud) which means the country of Black People in Arabic.

Sudan has been at war for more than two decades between Northern Sudanese dominated by Muslims and the Black African in the South mostly Christian, And a recent genocide in Darfur.

Have you ever heard of the "Lost Boys of Sudan"? Well I am one of them.

My life background is confusing and complicated. I was born on October 30th, 1985 in Southern Sudan. I have a vision of helping my fellow children in war-affected areas especially of Southern Sudan. I am doing this not because I am great but because I have been the victim of the human rights violations on the continent of Africa and in the country of Sudan.

I faced all the atrocities committed by the Sudanese government during the civil war between Southern Sudanese, mostly Christians, and the Northern Sudanese who are dominated by Muslims. Here in the United States, I understand the needs of the children in Sudan. With the little education that I have, I am capable of changing lives; but the bigger problem, is the problem of resources, "How can I get help these children?"

I have seen death since I was seven years old. I have seen a number of children along the way to Ethiopia being eaten by wild animals. I have seen little children on the roadside waiting for some body to pick them up, but no one did. I was forced to cross the Gilo River in Ethiopia by men with guns. I have seen all-kinds of tragic activities in my entire life but through this, I am looking forward to change what I have been through.

When I was five years old, I enjoyed sitting next to my relatives as we waited for the time of tales and histories. Every night, we enjoyed sitting around the fire so that our relatives could tell us some of the remarkable stories about hares, lions, and great martyrs. I enjoyed running after cows and antelopes. All these memories were taken away from me when the war started in Sudan between the SPLA/M (Sudanese People Liberation's Army) and the Sudanese government. I was separated fourteen years ago from my parents.

In 1988, my mother died and I was left in the hands of my father, sisters, and brothers. My sisters and brothers pushed me hard regardless of my age. They always want me to be successful and to survive the orphanage situation. After the Sudanese government attacked my town, my brother and I, and the rest of the family ran in different directions because of the bombardment of the town.

In 1988, bodies were scattered in the bush and children were the victims of atrocities. We had to find safety because the government's soldiers captured elders and killed or scared away the people. In all, children numbering between 5,000 and 6,000 marched along the roadside toward Ethiopia looking for a place to sit, food to eat, and something to cover them.

I was amongst the ones who survived the long journey. Our primary foods were leaves from trees, mud from the soil, our own urine for water, and rats for soup. Between 1,000 and 3,000 children were either killed, died of thirst, or were eaten by wild animals.

I was a survivor of that misery. After we arrived in Ethiopia in 1988-1989, things were better because there was water available even if we were still eating leaves from the trees. We had managed to adapt to the environment until in 1991, when civil war broke out in Ethiopia forcing many of us were forced back into the wildness of Southern Sudan. None of us were above 10 years of age. We faced many hardships surviving malnutrition, hunger, and high death rate to diseases. We settled in a refugee camp in Northern Kenya where the natives hated us.

In Kenya, we started our education despite the misfortune of limited educational materials. We started writing on the soil and eventually had real writing paper and pencils, when the UNICEF (United Nation Children's Fund) came in. We managed to study until we knew how to write and read English.

In 2000-2001, the United States, resettled a number of these young men including me. We are known by the name, which signifies our miseries, "The Lost Boys of Sudan". Even if few of these young men have made it to the United States of America, many of them still are suffering back home.

I arrived here in 2001 and I am proud to be here in America. But after all this, I have had some guilty feelings pushed on myself to do something about the children in Southern Sudan. I completed High school in Michigan and want to further my education and some day I am hoping to graduate with, J.D./M.D. I am currently attending Aquinas College in Grand Rapids Michigan and planning on going to law school.

Bethany Christian Services (BCS) have helped, and supported me for all the years I 'm been here. They help me finish my High school education, and provide assistances in shelter, food, and personal cases.

Sudan is now moving from making peace to building peace through Political, economic and social development and security reforms.

To build a society that has lived under terror, death, and destruction through war, for the better of the last century.

In Southern Sudan, I am making progresses for the short and long run. I am founding a Foundation named (SACF). This organization will help educate, teach, and provides medical attention to the population of Southern Sudan.

The aims are:

• To build a primary school in Southern Sudan.
• To teach children how to read and write English.
• Provides foods and clean water to the people residing in that region
• To help small, orphans, children to be self-sufficient.
• And to provides care for the disenfranchised children of Southern Sudan.

General the basic necessities for the SACF foundation are of cause to provides, Education, Food, Health, and sanitation.

List goes on and on.

The broad participation of the Senate Black Legislative staff Caucus will not only to support the program but also to create a long-term relationship between the Southern Sudanese and African American societies in the United States of America, and work side by side as brothers and sisters working for a common good of our beloved people.

I know this will take time, and will require concerted efforts and massive resources.

The task my foundation is trying to accomplish are many and daunting because Sudan have been at war for more than two decades claiming the lives of 2.5 million people and displacing more than five million innocent around the world.

Now that the peace have been reach between the North and the South and the displaced people are retuning to Southern Sudan with no housing, education, health clinics, and roads.

The victims of these repatriations are children because they are venerable to disease, hunger, and malnutrition and my foundation is trying to address these issues.

The help of Senate Black Legislative Caucus (SBLSC) will make this foundation achieve the need for children of Southern Sudan.

We need your assistance through funding the program, fund raising from other organizations such schools, churches, and in the communities.

Thank you very much.

Page added July 15, 2005.