Lost Boys of Sudan and Jacob Atem life History

What happens when you move from being unknown and isolated to becoming famous? Are you defined by your tragedy or by your discovery? To me you are what you are by what you have been through. One needs to know the past to move forward.



In 1987, a civil war drove an estimated twenty thousand young boys from their families and villages in Southern Sudan. Most no more than six or sevens years old, they fled to Ethiopia to escape death or induction into slavery and the Northern army. They walked a thousand miles through lion and crocodile country, eating mud to stave off thirst and starvation. Wandering for years, half of them died before reaching the Kenyan refugee camp, Kakuma. The survivors of this tragic exodus became known to the world as the “Lost Boys of Sudan (Lost Boys of Sudan).” In 2000, U.S. government began bringing the Lost Boys of Sudan to America (The Lost Boys-CBS News). The “Lost Boys” group was resettled all across the U.S. There are Sudanese Youth in nearly every state. Some of the larges groups are in Phoenix, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Chicago, Salt Lake, Houston, Dallas, San Diego, Kansas city, Richmond, Nashville and Louisville (Megan Mylan and Jon Shenk).



Do you really know who the Lost Boys of Sudan are? When you hear the term “Lost Boys of Sudan, what comes to mind? Lost Boys of Sudan is a label given to the young refugees of the 1983 Civil War in Sudan, but it does not accurately indicate who these young refugees are. The real point is that whoever gets displaced by the Civil War in Sudan is a Lost Boy. I Jacob was one of the Lost Boys of Sudan.



Jacob’s Story

“When the invaders struck, many of the boys here were tending their herds. When they saw their villages burning, they started walking (60 Minutes II).”



When Jacob was about six years old his parents were killed by Arabs Muslims in Northern Sudan. They came and burned down Jacob village, Michael and Jacob ran into the jungle. His cousin and he spent three days in the jungle. From this point on, his cousin and he formed special bonds. His cousin has a great personality and a good attitude . And bravely took care of Jacob when they were walking to Ethiopia.



Michael and Jacob have good relationship because he carried Jacob for 7-8 months to Ethiopia, he cares for Jacob, and he is good with kids.



Jacob relationship with his cousin will not be broken. With out their relationship, Jacob would be dead by now. When they were walking, Michael carried Jacob all the way to Ethiopia, because at the time he was so young, he couldn’t walk by himself. Most people would not do this. For Jacob’s cousin he did say yes “I will carry Jacob to Ethiopia” and he did. When Michael carried him, he was not just relaxing, he was under pressure; he could walk for ten hours straight, because the Arabs Muslims in Northern Sudan were following them. They were in a hurry to move because of fear that the Muslims would come and get them. Thank God Michael and Jacob came to the United States of America. When they arrived in the U.S, they got separated into two states. Michael went to Nevada and Jacob went to Michigan. Jacob was depressed because they got separated; and Jacob called Michael up and asked him whether he should go to Nevada or if Michael should come to Michigan, because they had been living together since they were little. Finally, Michael decided that he would go to Michigan. So Jacob paid for his airplane ticket. Now Michael and Jacob are in touch even though Jacob is at spring Arbor University and Michael lives in Lansing.



Michael cares for others, not for himself, and he is good with kids. On their way to Ethiopia, Michael would gather food, and would not eat until Jacob ate. He would give him water before he drank. He would carry Jacob and later he would have to get fire wood, cook, and even though he was tired from caring Jacob for ten hours a day. Jacob always cried because he just didn’t know how to thank Michael for what he did. He could have just left Jacob in the jungle and let him die somewhere. He is a kind person that Jacob will never forget.



Michael was brave, because during their walk to Ethiopia they faced a lot of danger. Arabs Muslims were coming after them, and they faced a lot of wild animals that could have attacked them at any moment. Lions and others wild animals would attack them every day. For instance and Lions would just jump over the people and bites people with their teeth. He has have seen people before getting ate by the lions. During night time, they made a timetable to decide who was going to be awake and who was going to be asleep. One day Jacob was sleeping and Michael was awake



and a lion came in the middle of night and Michael just slapped Jacob really hard in the head. Jacob woke up and it was pitch black, He couldn’t see any thing. Everybody was yelling “lion, lion,” and Jacob took off like a rabbit from sleep and Jacob ran into a sharp tree. His injured from the tree was pretty bad on that time, because there were no doctors to give him medicine. He just let it heal by it self. During that time he could even see the bone on his leg. In fact he has a scare on his leg now. From that incident he has fear of lions.



Jacob’s relationship with Michael will go on forever until they die. Jacob will never forget Michael cares for others and not for himself. He is good with kids, brave, and has good attitude toward others.



Where Did They Get the Name Lost Boys?

The origin of the name has interesting roots. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees gave the name “The Lost Boys” to the group of boys who escaped the Civil War in the Sudan by walking to Ethiopia and Kenya and finally flew to the United States. With the help of the U.N. and the U.S. government, the Sudanese youth first arrived in America; the media started identifying this entrance of unique proportions with the name “The Lost Boys.” None of the boys knew this term in the refugee camp prior to arriving in the U.S. It is said that the reference may have connections with the movie, Peter Pan. The situations of exile and being orphans may have lead to the initial label; yet the parallels were few. With the “Lost Boys of Sudan”, the exile, death, starvation, and separation were real, not fictional.



The media term brought much attention and awareness about boys. As various social agencies used the name, they were able to locate homes and mentors. Vocational and educational opportunities were expanded for this group. No matter what location throughout the United States the young men/ women were sent to, they were identified as being part of this group. The name stuck and though the youth are no longer “lost” or “boys” it is how the youth often refer to themselves. For some it is a badge of honor (Megan Mylan and Jon Shenk).



Among the young men, there are many reactions to the term “Lost Boys of Sudan”. The connotations proved to be both positive and negative. For example, I have a roommate who is one of the Lost Boys of Sudan and He did not lose his parents, is he a Lost Boy or not? Personally, I think he is the Lost Boy, even though he did not lose his parents. The term “Lost Boys of Sudan, is someone unclear because it does not refer to just individuals who escaped one part of Sudan. It refers to persons from Sudan in exile from a number of different countries (Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, or Chad). The experiences and length of time walking varied a great deal. Yet the term helps to unify everyone who experienced this tragedy in the time span or the late 1980’s until 2001.



What about the Girls?

When thousands of children fled civil war in Sudan in the late 1980’ the group was predominately boys. Of the 3,800 “lost boys” that were resettled in the U.S. Less than 100 were girls (Megan). So, does the term “Lost Boys of Sudan means, there were only boys walking without girls? No, this term is used to describe a group of boys and some girls who came to the United States from the Sudan. It can be used to portray youth who went through many crises over a period of many months’ even years.



Relationship with God

I have been called a lost boy, but I’m not lost from God. I am lost from parents. Many things were lost: parents, country, village, work, food, family, and friends. When I came to the United States, I did not know the term “Lost Boys of Sudan”. I started realizing the name because I hear the name on TV show 60 Minutes II, and when I go to some churches, high schools to talk about my testimony as one of the original “Lost Boys of Sudan”, most people assume that I am one of the “ lost boy” from Peter Pan, and Lord of flies. Even though people have called me a lost boy and compare me with all these fictional movies, I know I am lost from my parents, but I’m not lost from God. God is my father and mother and I know he is always there because he protected me on my walk to Ethiopia, Kenya, and finally I made it to the United States because of him.



 www.sshco.org

Jacob Atem