About three thousand young men from Sudan, who were orphaned and grew up in a squalid refugee camp in Kenya, are being resettled throughout the United States. Today on New American Voices two of these young men talk about their adjustment to their new life, with its modern conveniences and fast pace.
The five tall, lanky young men walked off the plane single file in their new sneakers, looking straight ahead, their only luggage the small packs on their backs. They had just arrived in Washington's bustling, modern Reagan National Airport from Nigeria. Only when they were greeted by their caseworker, who spoke to them in their native Dinka, did they begin to relax a little and look around. One of the boys, David Aboymadje, says that everything they saw - the cars, the escalators, the moving sidewalks - was new and strange to them.
The young men had learned English at the Kakuma refugee camp, where they spent almost 10 years. Before arriving at Kakuma they had suffered unimaginable hardships as they fled the war in southern Sudan. Refugee agencies call them "The Lost Boys of Sudan." Officials estimate that as many as 17,000 young boys, separated from their families, had started the trek from Sudan to Ethiopia, then back to Sudan and finally to Kenya. Only about half made it. On the way they were attacked by bandits and northern Sudanese soldiers, the weaker ones fell prey to lions and crocodiles. Many died from starvation and thirst. David Aquak says the teeming Kakuma refugee camp, set on a hot, arid plain in northwest Kenya, was only a little better.
David Aquak and his four friends are now living in an apartment rented for them by the voluntary agency that is overseeing their resettlement. Their caseworker, Agar Mayen, is herself a refugee from Sudan. For the next two or three months she will be their teacher, mentor, and friend.
Agar Mayen says the boys are constantly amazed by things that most Americans take very much for granted.
The resettlement agency's aim is to make the boys self-sufficient within two to three months, so the first priority is to find them jobs. In fact, three of the boys are already working, in a grocery store and a fast food restaurant. Three are already studying to get their high school equivalency diplomas, so they can go on to college. Daniel Aboymadjok has specific career plans.
For all their hopes and optimism about the future, the present can be lonely for boys used to living in groups, constantly helping and supporting each other.
Caseworker Agar Mayen came to the United States from Sudan via Egypt five years ago. Next week on New American Voices she talks about how she, her husband and their six children are faring in this country.