The Journey of the Lost Boys: A True Story of Courage, Faith, and the Sheer Determination to Survive by a Group of Young Boys Called 'The Lost Boys of Sudan'
Author Joan Hecht recounts personal stories of the Lost Boys of Sudan in her recent biographical narrative.
Jacksonville, FL (PRWEB) March 21, 2006
Imagine you are a young boy, maybe as young as three or four, separated from your family by civil war, traversing deserts and mountains with little food and water, no medical care and no protection from wild animals. Imagine watching your family slaughtered by enemy soldiers. It is hard for us to imagine unless we are watching a thriller on television. But, it really did happen to approximately thirty thousand young children from the South of Sudan.
While the civil war was going on, these children banded together, walking over a thousand miles across the wilds of Africa. Many perished along the way. When the children arrived at the first refugee camps in Ethiopia, the unaccompanied minor boys (Lost Boys) were separated into “boys only” area of the camps. However, according to Sudanese culture, the girls could not be left on their own and were incorporated into foster families. When the selection process began for resettlement to the United States, the girls were no longer considered as orphans, (a requirement for resettlement), and were thereby left behind. There was also the issue of dowries, which is still acceptable in Sudan. Many of the foster families refused to release the girls, knowing that in doing so they would relinquish any dowry money for the young girls, who were now of marrying age.
As a result, only 87 Lost Girls came to the Untied States in the summer of 2001, in comparison to the 3800 Lost Boys. “Those featured in my book ultimately resettled in the United States,” explains Joan Hecht, author of “The Journey of the Lost Boys” (ISBN 0976387506).
When arriving in the United States The Lost Boys had to be taught the basics of everyday life, such as how to flush a toilet and use running water and electricity. They had literally walked from the wilds of Africa and landed head-on into the twenty-first century. “In addition to their incredible story, I think their child like innocence and charm is what drew me to them,” details Hecht. “I initially thought I’d be assisting them for only a month or so, as they struggled to acclimate to our modern society.”
However, Hecht’s venture has now surpassed four years and in addition to helping them through the resettlement process, she has established a non-profit foundation to assist with their health and educational needs called Alliance for the Lost Boys of Sudan, http://www. allianceforthelostboys. com (http://www. allianceforthelostboys. com). Hecht adds, “I no longer consider them to be a charitable project, but instead, extended members of my family. My children call them their brothers and I call them my sons. I truly love them.”
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