by Journalism I student Miriam Alghothani, ’13
With hopes of raising funds for medical supplies, Club South Sudan strives to raise awareness among students.
Senior club president Taylor Grow said that along with raising awareness of the situation in South Sudan, she hopes that the club will continue in future years.
“We want to make sure that kids will carry on with this,” Grow said.
The club’s adviser, Mark Boesch, said freshman involvement will play a big role in the success of the club.
“We need the freshmen to get involved. It will help the club grow,” Boesch said.
Club South Sudan is in contact with two of the Lost Boys of Sudan. The young Sudanese boys, aged between 6 and 14, trekked nearly 1,000 miles to neighboring Ethiopia. After watching their villages burn, the boys escaped the Sudanese civil war, which broke out in 1983. Later, in 1991, the boys fled Ethiopia’s civil war, ending up in Kenyan refugee camps.
Nearly 4,000 Lost Boys immigrated to America for a second chance at life. Jok Dau and Bol Aweng, cousins, ended up in Columbus, Ohio where they have worked with UA students, sharing their story.
“You can see the story in their eyes,” Grow said.
Coming from Piol, South Sudan, Dau and Aweng hope to give back to their hometown. With help from a church service, a clinic was built in Piol, South Sudan. Solar panels, funded by UA students, run the clinic. Students also funded the cold storage unit in the clinic as well as the maternity ward. The clinic, up and running, is named The Buckeye Clinic after the Ohio State Buckeyes.
To raise funds in years’ past, Club South Sudan previously organized a Walk-a-thon, symbolizing the journey of the Lost Boys. The club also organized a Chili Cook-off, a Dodgeball tournament, and a Penny War. To date, students have raised $38,000.
“The whole clinic costs $150,000. We have raised $38,000 so far,” Boesch said.
The club meets every Friday at 7:30 a.m.