"The Lost Boys of Sudan"

“The Lost Boys of Sudan” is a documentary that focuses on the Dinka people. There village was attacked multiple times and they took young girls from the village and used them. 20,000 Dinka people migrated to Kenya and arrived in 1992. While migrating they came across lions that were fierce and killed many people along the way. They were given the name “Lost Boys” because the United Nations found them with no parents and took them to the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. For the most part the documentary focused on two main characters, Peter Nyarol and Santino Majok Chuor. Both of these men were going to the United States through a refugee program. The day of their departure was August 26, 2001. The documentary follows the two men and explains the struggles and experiences they faced being immigrants in America. They slowly found out that they were unable to do some of the things that were normal to them in their native country. Santino landed a night shift job at a plastic company in Houston Texas. He received three tickets for traffic violations and was suddenly realizing how hard life in America was. He failed to pass his driving test because when he pulled out of the parking lot he accidentally ran over the curb. Peter bought a car and moved to Kansas City where he planned to attend High School. He was eventually enrolled as a junior in High School and had a very busy schedule between schooling, eating, working, and doing homework. It was hard to determine what grade he should be enrolled in because in Sudan ages were guessed. Peter also enjoyed playing basketball and went out for the high school team. When doing so he learned many skills that he had never been taught and was not quite up to par with the other kids on the court. In the end he did not make the team but that did not bring him down. He talks to his counselor about taking the SAT and takes his education very seriously. Peter also attends bible study with his new friends. Santino was finding it hard to maintain an education while working so much. He went on a retreat to Washington D.C. where he met up with other Sudan people. They talk amongst themselves as to whether they will stay in America or go back home. Now being immigrants in America they see the complications that follow. In the end Peter graduates High School and the documentary offers up the facts that as of 2001 there are 15 million refugees in the world and America gave asylum to 70,000 immigrants including 4,000 “Lost Boys”.
In summary “Lost Boys” were forced to migrate to Kenya due to ongoing violence. Some of them were given the opportunity to study in America where they found out that life as an immigrant was not so easy. They had a very nice environment to live in, but struggled to have enough money to pay their debts and receive a good education.

-Information from “The Lost Boys of Sudan” documentary By: Megan Mylan and Jon Shenk