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A voice from Sudan, lost boy speaks to CHS class
By Jim Kilpatrick, Jkilpatrick@acnpapers.com
Santino Athian ran away from home when he was 9 years old and spent 11 years as a “Lost Boy” in Sudan before coming to the United States.
Friday he came to Coppell High School to speak to more than 200 students about how their efforts have built seven or eight water wells in his country providing clean, fresh water to thousands of people.
Athian was brought to the school by Matt Bowden, a teacher at CHS, who has been involved with the Hope for Africa program for two years.
Athian, 29, learned about the efforts of the Coppell students in an article he read in a local newspaper.
“What you are doing here is helping a lot,” Athian said. “The money that you have raised has made it possible for wells to be dug bringing water to my people.”
Athian began his hour-long presentation telling how he had run away from home at age 9 and wandered for 90 days. He walked those 90 days with no shoes and very little clothes.
He said many times they would stop because they knew one of the group was dying. They had no medicine to help the individual. They simply waited until the individual died, said their goodbyes and continued on their trek.
He finally arrived at a refugee camp in Kakuma, Kenya, where he remained until he was 20. Conditions were bad even there, and it was a struggle to survive. His education at the camp was outside.
“Our school was outside under a tree,” Athian said. “We had one piece of paper a week and a pencil broken into three parts.”
He told the students about the horrors of living in the camp and how people died from lack of water and food. Malnutrition ravaged the camp, killing both young and old.
“Sometimes we had no food or water,” Athian said.
He presented a slide show that allowed the students to see just how horrible life was and still is in the refugee camps boarding the Sudan.
“I am excited for what Coppell High School is doing for Sudan ,” Athian said. “I hope and urge them to continue their work and help build the wells in Sudan.”
Above all, he said he was there to thank the students.
“I am excited for what Coppell High School is doing for Sudan,” Athian said. “I hope and urge them to continue their work and help build the wells in Sudan .”
Bowden has been involved with the Hope for Africa program for two years.
Athrian arrived in Dallas nine years ago and now works in the Medical Hospital of Dallas preparing meals in the nutrition department. He is attending Everest College studying to be a medical assistant. He is a member of the Dinka tribe in Sudan.
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