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Feature Story
The Power of Belief
A Conversation with James Ariath,
Lost Boy of Sudan
by Elyssa Paige
The power of belief is a double-sided coin that can heal or destroy. Our human history reveals the deadliest of wars when people attempt to enforce their beliefs upon others. The Second Sudanese Civil War claimed the lives of over two million civilians, the largest death toll since World War II. In September 1983, Sudanese President Nimeiri announced his intention to launch a campaign to transform Sudan into a Muslim state. As a result, the Arab north and the tribal/Christian south were divided. An estimated four million people were displaced from their families amidst the violence of war. Over 27,000 boys fleeing on foot to the safety of refugee camps came to be known as The Lost Boys of Sudan. Many of them perished along the way but some were fortunate enough to survive to tell their stories in the aftermath of the peace agreement that was signed in 2005. James Ariath, a member of the Dinka tribe and a Lost Boy of Sudan led hundreds of boys to safety while their lives were threatened daily by military attack, starvation, disease, and wild animals. Recently, I had the chance to speak with Ariath, who made his way to America to become a vital part of a community united through the desire to help others in need.
Vision Magazine: Can you tell us about your journey out of Sudan?
James Ariath: I left Sudan a long time ago. In 1983 the civil war began, but it didn’t come to the villages until 1987. That’s when all the homes and buildings were burned and looted by the Arab militia from northern Sudan. They came and killed all the males who were Christian or non-Muslim. There were gunshots everywhere. The houses burned, young men and children were killed, women were raped, and many people were separated from their parents. I ran away to save my life and that was the last time I saw my parents. I found other boys who were also running and I joined them. We started walking over 1,000 miles to Ethiopia, looking for a safe place to stay. I was ten years old and was considered an elder, so I was put in 
charge of 250 boys who were younger than me. We were divided into groups so that we would not get lost. I had the boys hold hands as we walked in long lines through tall grass, forests, and darkness. It was a nightmare. As we walked, we often heard gunfire. Day after day, we saw boys die from dehydration, starvation, and disease. At times we would just sit and wait for them to die so we could bury them and continue walking. When we crossed the River Gilo, a lot of the boys didn’t know how to swim, including me. There were so many crocodiles and wild animals—some of the boys were eaten by them. Others drowned or were killed by gunshots. It was so dangerous.
There were 16,000 of us who survived and made it to Ethiopia. We stayed there for several years until the war broke out in Ethiopia in 1992. A lot of the children were confused with nowhere to go. We had to run back to the border of Sudan and we made it to a place called Pachala. We were there for a few months when the government of Sudan sent troops to wipe out all the children. So we ran to the border of Kenya, where we spent another couple of months until the government came and burned the area. Finally we arrived at the refugee camp in Kakuma, Kenya. It was very nice because we had food, a place to sleep, and the chance to go to school. I lived there for eight years and went from primary school to high school. I was also a Christian community leader. I gave out rations, school materials, and counseling advice and helped take the sick to the clinic. The refugee camp was the place where we finally felt like we were at home.
VM: What brought you to the United States?
JA: I came to America on December 22, 2000. After extensive interviews with a Christian relocation program, I was one of 3,800 selected to come here. I was fortunate to be sent to San Diego by the Alliance for African Assistance (www.alliance-for-africa.org). Now there are 98 of us living in San Diego. We are here to give thanks to America and to the people who have helped the Sudanese who are suffering. That’s why each and every one of us is going to school while working full time. It’s a choice. I want to do both— for [the betterment of my life] and for the future of my country. I am studying at Cuyamaca College to become a teacher. I also want to help the people who are suffering back in Sudan. I want to give them a better life, like this culture has given me. I want to make the world a better place for human beings to live.
VM: What do you think of the American community?
JA: The American community has helped the Sudanese a lot. For example, there is a gentleman in Coronado named Jerry Moser. He and his family gave my cousin, Isaac, and three other Lost Boys a free place to live. He gave them his house—his own house—and they stayed there for four years until they finished school. If somebody gives that chance to you, that’s really God in his heart. Jerry helped those four students and I think he didn’t only help that four; he helped hundreds and hundreds of people because that four became successful through their education and they are now helping others.
VM: How has the school that you and Isaac have worked to build in Sudan helped the local community?
JA: The school is for orphaned and needy children and it has been there for three years. It started when Isaac went back to Sudan and found a lot of kids who were suffering. During the civil war, these children were taken to northern Sudan. When the war ended, the Arab militia just deserted them. There is no one to take care of them so they just linger around in the markets in the villages. Isaac knew about what they were going through and when he met those children, he felt bad. So he took pictures and sent them here.
In Kenya, we grew up carrying what we call “child to child,” which means children taking care of other children. Nobody had a family, but we were all one. People who believe in God are taking care of us. At first we gave classes to 250 children and now it has grown to 600. We were able to hire four teachers and two ladies to cook for the children. Many of the kids don’t have a place to sleep, and the compound is a place where they feel safe.
We’ve been getting a lot of help through a non-profit organization called Children of Southern Sudan (www.childrenofsouthernsudan.org). Our mission is to help these children whose parents were killed. They are suffering and we understand what that is like. Our goal is to provide them with food, water, shelter, and education. If you are alive, why not help the victimized kids to give them education and the chance to have a successful future? In January I am taking a semester off to go back to Sudan to help at the school. I have not been back there since I was a child.
VM: How have you been involved in the community here in the U.S.?
JA: I have volunteered for the last five years at the Alliance for African Assistance as a healthcare interpreter in Dinka and Arabic. I have taken refugees in my car and accompanied them to various social service organizations. I am also involved with the South Sudanese Community Learning Center in San Diego, where we help children with their homework and supply them with materials and computers. The learning center has been there for three years and has served over 300 children who range from ten years old to college level kids. And it’s not just the Sudanese—it is for anyone who wants to learn about Sudanese culture. We welcome them and we are happy to share our knowledge because we hope that they are the future of Sudan. We want to teach them about democracy and the value of human life. Many of the Sudanese parents don’t have time to stay home with the children and they don’t know about the educational system. I read an article from Kenya that said, “Whoever was not taught by their parents will be taught by the war.” That’s why we have created this community—to provide education because if kids don’t have anybody telling them what to do, they will be out on the streets and we don’t want that. We want them to have their dignity and to get an education.
There is also a strong community of The Lost Boys of Sudan in San Diego. We are training ourselves to have a democracy. In our group, we elect a president every two years. This is how life should be. Our country is suffering because there is no democracy. There is no consideration of human value. There are people who say that others in the same country are second and third class citizens. The government kills its own people—what kind of government is that? That’s why we pray to God to give this great wisdom to our country to know what democracy is and to understand the value of human beings. The government should give power to the people. We keep our hope strong through God that one day we will gain democracy in our country.
There are still a lot of problems in Sudan. In Darfur, for example, there are many problems over skin color, but also because the land is rich with oil, gold and minerals. The violence continues there. We just want the Sudanese people to have peace and to come together as one.
VM: Do you have hope that we will come together as one human community?
JA: Humans have made the world the way it is and it’s humans who will make it better. I think that what destroys the world is one thing: religious doctrine. There are people who tell others to kill so that they can be better children of God. This is a misinterpretation. The people who misinterpret religion to the public are the ones who are corrupt. They are the ones who kill people and start wars.
Jesus said, “Love your enemy as you love yourself.” Even though we are different colors, we are all children of one God. If a Christian sees a Muslim praying, they should be able to pray together. The language or the way they worship may be different, but they are both praying to the same God.
What gives me strength is my belief in God. I’m a lucky one to be alive today, to have found a safe place to live and tell you this story. If there were no God, I could not have walked from Sudan all the way to Ethiopia, crossing crocodile-infested rivers, resisting hunger, thirst and fear without knowing where I’m going to be tomorrow. God led me past many dangers so I could survive to help others today.
I think the world is going to come together under the belief that we are all connected and we all come from one God. It’s going to be a choice for human beings to decide what they’re going to believe in. But you have to understand something before you believe it. Many people believe what they are told without understanding it. This is why our world is a disaster. We must have the freedom to understand and interpret our own beliefs. That’s when the world will become one.
To learn more about the non-profit organization, Children of Southern Sudan, please visit www.childrenofsouthernsudan.org. All assistance in the form of prayer, donations, and resources will make a difference in the lives of Sudanese children in need. For more information on the Lost Boys of Sudan, check out www.azlostboyscenter.org, www.rebuildsudan.com or www.allianceforthelostboys.com.
James Ariath also recommends supporting the International Rescue Committee, which has provided educational assistance to the Lost Boys of Sudan. Explore their website at www.theirc.org.