Two years ago, Suzanne Jones attended a conference at Lake Junaluska Methodist retreat center and took a class on mission work.
During that conference, she learned about "They Poured Fire From the Sky," which tells the story of the Lost Boys of Sudan -- 27,000 boys displaced and/or orphaned during their country's civil war.
"It's not the kind of book you can read and forget," Jones said. "You just have to do something."
She and other members of Trinity United Methodist Church in York began giving programs about the Lost Boys.
"People in southern Sudan feel like they've been forgotten since the peace agreement in 2005," Jones said. "There's so much need in Africa, but we're starting here, and we hope to make a great difference."
Earlier this month, Jones and her husband, Bud, returned from a 10-day trip to Sudan.
"It was a learning, not a working, trip," Jones said. They traveled with Anita Hinderlight of New Sudan Education Initiative and three others to see the work being done there, including the construction of new schools.
Education is vital to the Sudanese. "They long to go to school," Jones said, "and they'll do whatever it takes." Less than 1 percent of girls there continue after seventh grade.
The initiative has pledged to build 20 schools, and the first one will open this month. The local tribal chief was so impressed with the initiative's work, Jones said, that he gave the school nine square miles of land. The school eventually will be self-sustaining and will have dormitories, a health clinic, faculty housing and a farm.
Just as urgent is the need for machinery. During the war, bombs pretty much obliterated the roads in southern Sudan, even pockmarking the dirt lanes. Transportation is tough, as vehicles have to drive very slowly around or through giant potholes.
"If we could raise enough money for a tractor and a backhoe, it would make a world of difference," Jones said. "They could really start fixing the roads."
About 4,000 Lost Boys have been resettled in the U.S., but it's not always an easy transition. Last year, three visited York. One of them, Justus Akuma Chol, has had a difficult time. Chol, who is 27 and lives in High Point, is now an American citizen and has started community college. But he still struggles with money, and his biggest hurdle is dental care. On top of having poor nutrition most of their lives, members of the Dinka and Nuer tribes remove some of their bottom teeth as a cultural practice.
"I'm not going to give up, there's someone out there who will help with his teeth," said Jones, who's been frustrated trying to find a dentist or oral surgeon willing to work with Chol.
In the meantime, Jones will attend a conference and Sudan summit in late June, and hopes to start an Africa team through Trinity. Jones wants to set up a three-year plan, and would like to take a teaching/medical team to Sudan next year.
You can help
To help Justus Akuma Chol with his education or dental care, send a check to: Trinity United Methodist Church, 22 E. Liberty St., York, SC 29745. Mark your tax-deductible check for "Justus" or "Sudan Fund."
• You also can donate directly to the New Sudan Education Initiative through their Web site, www.nesei.org. There are many ways to help: $25 provides medicine for a student for one year; $450 pays for all of a student's expenses for one year, including uniforms and vaccinations; $10,000 builds a new dormitory for 40 students.
Cheney Baltz
