Over 20,000 children were forced to flee their homes in South Sudan throughout many turbulent years of civil war. They became known as “The Lost Boys and Girls of Sudan.” A recent documentary follows some of these victims as they return to Sudan in search of their families. “Rebuilding Hope” is screening at the Fairfield Public Main Library, 1080 Old Post Road, on Friday October 28 at 2 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. in the Rotary Room.
Gabriel Bol Deng, one of the lost boys featured in the documentary, is introducing the film at the library. “Rebuilding Hope” documents his return to Sudan after 20 years to search for his family. Sudan is the largest country in Africa with a population of twenty-seven million. Sudan’s farthest boundaries straddle Africa’s two cultural regions: the Islamic north and the Christian south. Deng first arrived in the United States when he was ten and with very little education. He has since graduated from La Moyne College and earned a master’s degree in mathematics. Deng founded Hope for Ariang, which helps to offer primary education and health care in Sudan. He now lives in Syracuse, New York.
Cynthia Davis, a Trumbull resident and the woman organizing this event, first met Deng in 2008. Davis is a decorative artist who owns Cynthia Designs. She is a human rights activist and serves on the Hope for Ariang board. Through her work, she has helped to spread Deng’s story throughout Fairfield County. Davis founded the Sudan Canvas Project to raise awareness of genocide victims through art. This program raises money to empower the women of Ariang. All proceeds of the Sudan Canvas Project are donated to Deng’s Hope for Ariang.
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For more information call 203-256-3160 or visit us online www.fairfieldpubliclibrary.org . Follow the Fairfield Public Library on Twitter: www.twitter.com/fairfieldpublib and Facebook: www.facebook.com/fairfieldlibrary. All programs at the Fairfield Public Library are free of charge.
Article Submitted by Katherine Siefert, SI Newhouse Senior Syracuse University
