Voice 1
Hello. I’m Marina Santee.
Voice 2
And I’m Rachel Hobson. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
There are many people at the airport. They are flying all over the world. Some people are going on business trips. Others are going on holiday. But no one is more excited than John Majok. He is going to see his family - his mother and sister. His will also see his fiancee - his future wife. John is finally returning to Africa!
Voice 2
John is a refugee from Sudan. An earlier Spotlight programme told of the civil war in southern Sudan. It was called ‘From Lost Boy to Priest’. It told how in 1983 many people were killed. And thousands fled to nearby countries. In today’s Spotlight we tell John’s story. We talk about his people. And we talk about how their values helped John to survive the hardships of war.
Voice 1
John is from the Dinka people. Community is very important to the Dinkas. People work together to help each other. And families are very close. John came from a loving family of eight brothers and sisters. He was very happy living in his village.
Voice 2
John was six years old when his village was attacked. He got separated from his family. This was a very frightening time. He did not know what to do. And there were thousands of children in the same situation as him. Their villages had also been attacked. And they had lost their parents too. These children, mostly boys, fled for their lives. But how would they survive? Where could they go?
Voice 1
Some of the rebels found the boys. They told the boys to go to the bordering country of Ethiopia. The children did not know how far Ethiopia was - but they did not have a choice. The leader of the rebel group tried to encourage the children. He told them they were ‘the Seeds of the future Sudan’. These children were the hope for the future. They had to make it to safety.
Voice 2
So the children started walking. They walked through jungle and desert. They were hungry and thirsty. Many of them died along the way. And they had to be careful to avoid soldiers and wild animals. They walked hundreds of miles to find safety. Later, John remembered this time. He said:
Voice 3
“I was very tired. But I did not think of going to sleep. If I did, I knew I would die”
Voice 1
John was in Ethiopia for about five years. But then there were political problems in Ethiopia - and the children had to flee again. Finally, they went to Kakuma, in northwest Kenya. Aid workers were surprised to see so many boys without their parents. These boys were called ‘the Lost Boys’. And Kakuma became a United Nations refugee camp.
Voice 2
More and more people started to arrive in the camp from South Sudan. Families saw each other again after years of being separated. John hoped to see his family too. Would he be able to find them? Were they still alive? Then, he had a wonderful surprise. He was reunited with his mother and sister. John was so happy to find them. But they told him some very sad news - seven of his brothers and sisters had died.
Voice 1
Although life in Kakuma was not easy, John was happy to be with his family. He did not know what would happen in the future. But as he became a man, he knew he wanted to help his family. And he wanted to help his country.
Voice 2
John heard about an education programme offered by the United States. He could have a new life there. He could go to university. John did not know what to do. He wanted to be with his family. But he also wanted educational opportunities. Finally John accepted the offer. But before he left Kakuma, he met a beautiful young woman called Yom. He thought she was very special. And he asked her to wait for him. He promised that he would return.
Voice 1
John was one of almost four thousand [4000] Sudanese refugees that went to the United States. He was sent to Arizona. There he went to university. And he worked very hard. He also tried to help his family by sending money home. Sharing is a big part of Dinka culture. One Dinka man explained:
Voice 4
“If you can help, you have to do it. We have a cultural responsibility to help each other. We cannot say ... I am fine, I have money in the bank, knowing people back home do not have enough to eat. That is why we work two or three jobs and send money back.”
Voice 2
In 2005, John finished university with honours. Only the best students get honours. That same year peace finally returned to South Sudan. After more than twenty years of civil war, people could start rebuilding their country. Now John is part of this process. He works for an aid organization. His job is to find experts to work on rebuilding projects within Sudan. John has also spoken before many important officials in the United States government. He told them about the needs and hopes of his country.
Voice 1
John’s family are very proud of him. In the summer of 2007, John had the chance to return to Kakuma. His mother was so excited to see him. She said:
Voice 5
“I thank God. I am very happy that he has protected John... I am a mother of nine and I only have two of my children left.”
Voice 1
John is also grateful to God. He has a strong Christian faith.
Voice 3
“I have never lost my faith in God. I feel like God has a special plan for me.”
Voice 2
John and Yom were finally married. They had waited six long years. Now, they are waiting for Yom to get a visa for the United States. They do not know what the future will hold. Will they live in the United States? Or will they return to Sudan? The only thing John knows for certain is that he is working to make his country better. He is being a seed for Sudan. John said:
Voice 3
“I want to be someone who makes a change. This world is our global village. And we need to make it more livable for humans. We need to deal with anything that interferes with the value of human life.”
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