In 2001 before the attacks of 9/11, approximately 4,000 Sudanese Lost Boy and Girl refugees arrived in the United States.  As victims of genocidal (un)civil war which has raged in Southern Sudan for over twenty years, they have spent the majority of their lives in refugee camps of Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.  Since the ages of 3 to 7, the tides of war have forced them to flee as groups of children through the deserts on thousand mile treks.  Most have lost their parents and siblings, having seen them perish or killed before their eyes.  They have survived war, thirst, starvation, and personal loss that has scarred their souls but never beat them.  Now in their early twenties, the Lost Boys and Girls living in the United States embody the hope for their country’s future.  Most are attending college while working several jobs to support their family members left in the camps.  It is their hope that through their education, they will gain the knowledge and means to rebuild their country and save the lives of their loved ones left behind.

• This organization seeks to advance the lives of the Sudanese men and women in the Hampton Roads area by meeting any needs they have as they arise, by providing them with ways to meet their needs on their own, as well as helping them achieve their goals.. 
• We also help supply them with the tools necessary to become viable, productive, and self-sustaining members of the community. 
• We serve to help them find means to support their struggling families that remain in Africa. 
• We seek to engage the support of any and every member of the community with a heart and a mind to help in any capacity.
• Lastly, we work to bring awareness of the plight of the Sudanese people to national political consciousness so that we may positively affect the political situation in Sudan for these men and women.      

PROGAMS AND INITIATIVES

1. Promoting local awareness of the needs of Lost Boys and Girls living in Hampton Roads by securing speaking engagements with churches, synagogues, schools, and civic groups.
2. Fundraising for their education, healthcare, and living expenses
3. Coordinating donations of clothes, computers, cars, books, furniture, and household supplies
4. Providing tutoring and assistance with schoolwork, computer maintenance and car repairs
5. Helping to find scholarships and assistance filling out applications
   
6. Helping to find jobs which will allow them to attend school
7. Providing emotional support so they will feel safe, secure and loved.
8. Engaging support from local businesses and like-minded organizations.
   
9. Finding local donors who will help send their young relatives left in the refugee camp to boarding schools outside of the camp. 

Many minors are alone in a camp of over 80,000 refugees who have little food and are not allowed to work or raise crops.  These children are rationed 1 cup of cornmeal which must last them two weeks and are at extreme risk of starvation and can be kidnapped at any time by rebel forces trying to fill their ranks. For a few hundred dollars a year, the boarding school provides for their safety, nutrition, education, and hope for a future.  It will also allow the Lost Boys and Girls here to focus on their educations. Please go to the outreach page for more details for sponsoring a child to school.