Lost Boys of Sudan
[3][4] The boys embarked on treacherous journeys to refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya where thousands were sheltered for several years.
[5] The Sudanese conflict, which incited the journey of the Lost Boys, stemmed from divisions among the Arabic-speaking Islamic Northerners and the Christian, Roman Catholic, and indigenous religions in the South.
The northern region of the country was primarily Muslim, which contrasted ideologically and culturally with the Christian, Roman Catholic, indigenous religions, and atheists that were more prevalent in the south.
Although the north had more of the urban centers of the nation, they depended heavily on natural resources such as oil and minerals that were found in the southern region.
[9][10] Motivated by the loss of their parents and their need to find food and safety from the conflict, an estimated 20,000 boys from rural southern Sudan fled to bordering Ethiopia and Kenya.
The Lost Boys on this migration were on average extremely malnourished, as food was sourced through donations from villages encountered along the way, hunting, and theft.
It is estimated that over half of the young migrants died along their journey due to starvation, dehydration, disease, attacks by wild animals and enemy soldiers.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees and involved non-governmental organizations were often constrained to meet the needs of the population.
A unique problem for the story of the Lost Boys is how the age and family structure dynamics of the camps changed with the influx of young people.
[11] Ultimately, being raised in a refugee camp significantly altered their development and ability to assimilate into regular life.
[20] These camps' inability to sustain the additional population burden made it evident to government officials that more needed to be done.
[24][17] Despite the program's intention to facilitate assimilation, many of the Lost Boys still face difficulties in adapting to life in The United States, Canada, or any of the European countries that offered refugee resettlement.
[25] Posttraumatic stress, separation from loved ones, cultural isolation, racism and discrimination against the refugees made assimilation extremely difficult.
This occurs when someone experiences the loss of a family member without the closure of death, which allows for mourning and moving forward.
[26] Moreover, a 2005 study found that 20% of Lost Boys under the age of 18 suffered from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
South Sudan allows free access to Lost Boys/Girls and Sudanese Diaspora from around the world to return to their homeland.
As a result, many are now returning to South Sudan to pay it forward and help in the rebuilding of their war-torn country, and to provide humanitarian aid and support.
Many girls were physically and/or sexually abused by their host families, raped by other refugees during activities such as fetching water or food rations, and occasionally, even sold as brides for profit.
[30] Because these girls had been living within a family unit for anywhere from 9–14 years, they were no longer considered orphans, and therefore were ineligible for the resettlement program.
