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THE LOST BOYS OF SUDAN By Christy ForsterPublished on June 2009
While much of the world’s attention has been focused on the crisis in Darfur, the stakes are much higher in southern Sudan. At more than 40 years, the war in the south lasted longer and was far more brutal than what Darfur has endured. An estimated two million people were killed and some four million displaced in the 15 years before the 2005 treaty.” - New York Times, November 26, 2008 The signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between North and South Sudan in January 2005, ended a 21-year long civil war - a war responsible for the death of an estimated 2 million people and the displacement of some four million more. Despite the peace agreement, the region remains unstable; medical and public health needs are critical. Diseases, once uncommon, now threaten the lives of men, women and children. Malnutrition is widespread; maternal mortality rates remain among the highest in the world, and large-scale outbreaks of meningitis, cholera, and malaria are relentless. In a country with an estimated population of 11 million, there is only one trained doctor for every 100,000 people. John Dau, the Sudanese "Lost Boy" who is featured in the award-winning documentary "God Grew Tired of Us" was resettled in Skaneateles, New York in 2001. John understood the unique opportunity, as well as the tremendous responsibility, that his resettlement had afforded him: to raise awareness of the continuing plight of the Southern Sudanese and leverage desperately needed assistance for his people. First and foremost, John wanted to help people regain the level of health and well-being that decades of civil war had stripped from them. His voice did not fall on deaf ears. The Presbetarian Congregation in Skaneateles, NY along with the entire Skaneateles Community rallied behind John. Thanks to the effort of many, the Duk Lost Boys Clinic opened in John's home village of Duk Payuel, South Sudan in May 2007. The clinic provides basic medical services, which include the diagnosis and treatment of common illnesses such as pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria, counseling for people living with HIV/AIDS, treatment of gunshot wounds, antenatal care for pregnant women, and training for community health workers to strengthen the health infrastructure. Because of the clinic, Duk Payuel is now a preferred location for the UN to repatriate thousands of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) from Duk County. However, concern looms regarding the health and living standards of the population and the capacity of the clinic to absorb the increased numbers. The clinic continues to be maintained through private donations and financial support and oversight from the John Dau Sudan Foundation (JDSF). Until the government of Southern Sudan assumes responsibility for the clinic, continuous funding is needed to support its operation. In January 2008, I was afforded the life-altering opportunity to participate in a medical mission to the Duk Lost Boys Clinic in Duk Payuel, South Sudan. I have posted a selection of photographs that I shot during my stay in the village. The people portrayed in the photographs are from the Dinka and Nuer tribes. To learn more about the Duk Lost Boys Clinic, the John Dau Sudan Foundation and how you can help the people of South Sudan, please visit: http://www.johndaufoundation.org Christy Forster is a graduate student at the George Washington University, pursuing a joint MPH/MA degree in Global Public Health and International Development Studies. Her picture gallery is available at http://gallery.me.com/cforster. She can be contacted at cforster@gwmail.gwu.edu. Click on any of the images below to start the image gallery. You must have JavaScript enabled on your browser in order for the gallery to work properly. The gallery is best viewed with the Firefox browser.
Article downloaded from http://www.globalpulsejournal.com/2009_forster_christy_lost_boys_sudan.html | ||||||||
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