College of DuPage Students Walk for Sudanese Relief

In the early morning hours of May 2nd volunteers from Phi Theta Kappa, College of DuPage’s academic honor society, gathered at the community college’s main campus with a  dual purpose – raise much needed funds for the Darfur Sister Schools Program and the Sudanese Community Center and create awareness throughout the community of the tragedies that have befallen the Sudanese people.

Their idea was simple, inspired by another PTK chapter in Peoria, Illinois:  To walk.  And, in doing so, pay homage to the venerable “Lost Boys of Sudan;” thousands of children orphaned and displaced during the Second Sudanese Civil War, an event in history that nearly mimics what is occurring in the Darfur region of Sudan.  “It’s about awareness,” said Carlos Lopez, who along with Jen Rehbein and Anastasia Talarico, organized the event.  About making the community, the nation and the world aware about what’s going on there and putting political pressure on the Sudanese government to affect change. 

Joining in on the walk would be two of the actual “Lost Boys,” there to share their experiences and some lessons they have learned after traversing four countries and thousands of miles in a search of peace.

And, as the event began slightly after 10:30 in the morning, I was struck by the lack of a somber attitude of forty, or so, the participants involved.  In the light of deaths of 2 million people and the displacement of 4 million more I wasn’t sure how you could be anything but somber at an event such as this, that was until one of the special guests, Peter Magai, one of the “Lost Boys” who was relocated to the United States in 2001, said, “I have no complaints about the United States.  I have opportunities here that I wouldn’t have back home.”

It was at this moment that I realized that these two men had come here to speak about how we could change the circumstances for thousands of more people, people much like them.  How we could give them the same opportunities and in doing such possibly help them to change not just their lives, but their country for the better.

So we listened.  We walked.  And, in the end I believe we all got a sense of what we needed to do, not necessarily as Americans, but simply as people.

For your opportunity to help visit: Enoughproject.org