Opened in 2003, the Lost Boys Center in Phoenix, Arizona, is a one-stop shop for those who arrived in the US in the early 1990s.
From offering English classes and hosting heated dominoes battles, the center has also taken on the task of dispersing 13,000 official refugee records to former Lost Boys living around the world.
Kuol Awan, the center’s executive director, is a Lost Boy himself. In this first person account, he talks about establishing himself in the US, and coming to terms with a normal life after a childhood of terror and fear.
Eggers Blends Fact, Fiction of Sudanese ‘Lost Boys’ - NPR
Kuol Awan fled Sudan during the civil war in the early 1990s and came to America as a young boy. He talks to the BBC about his experiences. Stay tuned for the full story on Monday.
Kuol Awan and 1-year old son in their Arizona home. Kuol wants his son to learn Dinka, the language of Southern Sudan, to better understand his heritage.
People who don’t appreciate their American identity they feel like they live in a foreign land, but they live in their own country. Because he’s part of this country and I want him to appreciate the part of being an American.