On the Road to Sudan

By Marcelle Hutchins- Editor

   After forced to leave his homeland 16 years ago, Aruna Kenyi plans to return to Sudan with one goal in mind: to solve the hunger crisis in his village of Kansuk. With the support of his family, community members, clubs and organizations, Kenyi aims to raise $7,000 for his Sudanese School Lunch Program which will help feed 200 to 2,000 children in Kansuk’s Primary School.
     According to Kenyi who is currently studying Community Health at the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF), children are attending school without breakfast and lunch, and have to wait until super time to eat.
    “If we want our students to be leaders of the future, they need to eat. So that they don’t have to worry about hunger,” said Kenyi.
    In the fall of 2003, Kenyi moved to America with his three brothers, his brother’s wife, and their two children. The Civil War in Sudan forced many people out of their homes and into refugee camps. Kenyi and his family were fortunate enough to leave the camps for a small town in Southern Maine.
    The conflict in Sudan ruined many villages, including Kenyi’s. “Our village was destroyed and we had no other place to live. My family was separated and for a long time I couldn’t find my parents,” said Kenyi. But it was only after he came to Maine that he learned that his parents were still alive. “I thought I lost them, but I didn’t. Just knowing that they’re alive is great.”

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