Author comes to UNL to present story of the Lost Boys of Sudan

The Lincoln public was able to hear the story of one of the Lost Boys of Sudan at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on Tuesday.

Joan Hecht, founder and president of the Alliance for the Lost Boys of Sudan and author of "The Journey of the Lost Boys," spoke Tuesday at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with Atem Da'Hajhock, one of the lost boys.

The lost boys are more than 27,000 boys who were orphaned during the second civil war in Sudan from 1983 to 2005.

When Da'Hajhock walked to Ethiopia with a group of other lost boys, they did not have food, water or medicine.

It was scary because they didn't know what to make out of it, Da'Hajhock said.

"It was a journey to nowhere," he said.

Both Hecht and Da'Hajhock spoke about the harsh conditions in making the journey to Ethiopia.

"Every lost boy and girl carried scars from their journeys because they had to travel at night," Hecht said.

This meant the children had to crawl in the bush.

When they completed the three-month trip, they found there wasn't anything for them in Ethiopia, either.

"We knew we were all going to die," Da'Hajhock said. "The question was when."

Da'Hajhock calls Hecht "our mom" because she has unofficially adopted all of the lost boys.

"I'm like the old lady in the shoe," she said.

It made Hecht physically ill to write her book, "The Journey of the Lost Boys," because the boys had become like family to her, she said.

Hecht first discovered the lost boys of Sudan when the U.S. government permitted about 3,800 refugees to come to the United States in 2001. About 85 of them relocated to Jacksonville, Fla.

"It wasn't so much of a choice on my part as I feel there was a calling," Hecht said. "The African people have tugged at my heartstrings for as long as I can remember."

At the beginning of the lecture, Hecht showed a narrative journey of lost boys and girls of Sudan, but warned the audience that some of the pictures were disturbing.  

Da'Hajhock said it was hard to recall and relive that part of his life by looking at the photographs.

"They were a part of my childhood upbringing," he said. "There is one thing I want you to know: I don't want those pictures or images to determine my tomorrow."

Hecht's goal is to bring awareness of the conflicts in Southern Sudan, especially since Southern Sudan  will determine whether it will separate from the Northern part of the country in an election referendum on Jan. 9, 2011.

The two sections of Sudan were split into a Muslim population in the north and a Black Christian and Animalism population in the south.

When Hecht asked the audience how many people were aware of the genocide in Darfur, almost all of the hands went up. Only four hands were raised when she asked how many people were aware of the civil war in Sudan.

Hecht and Da'Hajhock also spoke about the experiences of the refugees after coming to the United States.

"When I came to the country, I became a nerd. I love to read," Da'Hajhock said.

The two speakers also shared stories of reuniting the lost boys with their families.

Atem began supporting family back in Africa and put four siblings through private schools in Kenya, He was the first lost boy in the United States to bring his family to the U.S. to live here, according to Hecht.

Hecht and Da'Hajhock finished by saying goodbye in Dinka, Da'Hajhock's native language.

"Thank you and until we meet again may God bless you all," they said together.

kimbuckley@dailynebraskan.com