Armed conflict and its impact on children and families

Armed Conflict and its impact on children and families is very real!! As one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, my village was burned down and my parents were killed in a raid in 1989. My life was turned upside down. The life that I... [ view full abstract ]

Armed Conflict and its impact on children and families is very real!! As one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, my village was burned down and my parents were killed in a raid in 1989. My life was turned upside down. The life that I used to know was over. I was outside the village in the grasslands and there was nowhere for me to turn to. The fact that my parents were no longer in my life was very devastating and disturbing to me mentally, emotionally and physically.

The Lost Boys of Sudan struggled in the resettlement in the United States of America with mental health issues, alcoholism and trauma that they developed after living in Kakuma Refugee Camp. That camp continues to grow under the second genocide to this day.

As a child and again as an adult, these experiences changed are what I witnessed when, as a seven year old, I and thousands of other children tried to escape the armed conflicts in my country, now known as South Sudan.

As of today, my goal is to help other kids not to go through what I went through when I was a child. For refugee kids, education is the key and that’s why my organization, Seeds of South Sudan is helping educate orphans at Kakuma Refugee Camps to be future leaders, doctors, teachers etc. This will reduce crime rate and mental health illness among children at the Refugee Camps. This will help maintain emotional stability among children also prevent children from joining military.