Jacob Atem was 6 years old when his family was killed by northern Sudanese Arab militias waging war on southern Sudan, where he lived.
Atem and his cousin fled; they walked about 1,000 miles, running from lion attacks, looking for refuge, until they finally reached Kenya.
It’s estimated 20,000 other young boys and girls had to make similar journeys, and only about 12,000 of them survived.
Atem went temporarily blind from malnutrition when he and his cousin finally reached a refugee camp.
At 15, Atem was sent to the United States, with the equivalent of a fourth-grade education. He lived with a foster family in Michigan, and eventually got a Ph.D. from the University of Florida.
Today, he’s the co-founder of Southern Sudan Health Care Organization, which has built a clinic in Maar, Sudan, and works to provide health care, medical supplies and education to the people there. The clinics also focus on maternal health care.
South Sudan became an independent country in 2011.
Today, Atem and his wife and two children live in Florida.
Atem will speak at the Helen Day Art Center Thursday, Nov. 1, at 6 p.m.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexual language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be proactive. Use the "Report" link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.