A Sudanese Refugee's Story

Friday, 24 September, 12 noon, in the U3A Office:
a one off session of about two hours, see details below, at the bottom of the page

[ contact Vic Say 5472 1841 ]

Akier Nyarnhom, the young man presenting this session, will speak to us of his experiences. He ran from armed raiders as a nine year old. He walked East for three months with others to arrive in Ethiopia where he spent 4 years. He fled under attack when the Ethiopian Government expelled the Sudanese refugees, walking over two years, with tens of thousands of others South to Kenya He spent 13 years setting up and living in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya where he eventually attended school and passed year 12. He had survived where so many of his friends had not:   illnesses, starvation, thirst, gunfire, drowning, crocodile and lion attacks were some of the causes of death amongst the groups he was part of.  Luck and aspects of character and personality too complex to easily fathom, decide the fate of so many in these circumstances.
 


Akier came to Australia in 2005 and was employed within three months. When he heard of the possibility of permanent employment in Castlemaine, he moved here from Sydney about three years ago.  He has gained his licence, become and Australian citizen and voted in his first election, has passed certificate 3 English and certificate 1 computer, and is now studying certificate 4 English and some certificate 4 units of workplace training and assessment;  he has worked full time at Don KR Castlemaine for all that time, he has also spent 6 months as a traineee one day a week with the Mount Alexander Shire Council, has married and had a baby since he arrived in Castlemaine. He has also been an active member of the Sudanese communities in Castlemaine and Melbourne. Akier has offered to share with us something of what it means to have lived this journey and to have rediscovered members of his family, his father who is still alive and a younger brother who spent years as a slave in the north of the country, because he was only 7 years old and didn't run fast enough when the raiders struck.

Akier is informed about the recent election in Sudan and about the looming referendum to be held which will decide whether South Sudan will separate from Sudan or choose to continue to be part of Sudan. Akier dreams of returning to visit his surviving family and his village after twenty three years.



We will list questions and issues of interest suggested by people attending at the beginning of the session and Akier hopes to provide us with a short power point presentation to get us started. We will then have an interactive session responding to interests and issues raised by those attending.

To know more of Akier  …
check -   Castlemaine Mail Aug 27, 2010, page 6
Google -  A New Life in Castlemaine You Tube    (a small picture of Akier and Vic will come up - about 5th item from the top)
Google Out of Africa and into Victoria's goldfields - The Age

When …
Friday, 24 September, 12 noon, in the U3A Office.

Where …
Vic will eMail and\or phone each person on the list to confirm the time and place of this one off session.