SUMMER 2008Nicole Donnelly
Middle School Academic Coordinator
As part of the Advisory Program, middle school students watched The Gods Grew Tired of Us, a documentary about the thousands of young men forced to flee from Sudan. As mere children, they left their homes in order to escape the violence of the Second Sudanese War of the late 80’s and 90’s. They walked nearly a thousand miles over the course of three years, and suffered from starvation and the elements in order to reach refugee camps. Only half of the boys who fled survived the long journey. Now young men, they are known collectively as “The Lost Boys of Sudan.”
In 2001, thirty-eight hundred of these young men were offered relocation to the United States. With the help of Teacher Pat Russell, Friends School was able to bring one of them, Macharia Yuot, to speak to students in grades four through eight. On his arrival to the US, Macharia had attended the West Philadelphia Catholic High School with the help of the Lutheran Church in Philadelphia. He was accepted at Widener University in 2003, where he became a very successful cross-country runner. This fall he took part in the U.S. Olympic men’s marathon trials. He continues to train with Vince Touey, his Widener coach, who also accompanied him on his trip to Friends School.
During his visit to Friends School, Marcharia spoke to students about his difficult journey to Kenya and his eventual placement in the United States. He also shared the joy of earning a college degree and learning to run competitively. Despite his success, Macharia is a very humble person. He repeatedly downplayed his accomplishments and stressed that he had more left to achieve. This, as well as Macharia’s refusal to hate those who had persecuted him, impressed the students.
After an afternoon training session, Macharia and coach Touey returned for a presentation open to our parents and local community. Friends School was honored to host a presentation by man with such inner strength and optimism.
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Last modified:
Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 11:44 PM
