Readers help a 'lost boy' hunt his family
Kids, friends raise more than $9,000 to fuel Sudan trip
In Weston, a sixth-grade class read about Kuol Acuek's quest to find his brother in Sudan and decided to have a bake sale to raise money for his trip.
In Newton, the husband of an employee at Lasell College, where Acuek was a student, was so moved by the story in The Boston Globe that he helped to pay for the $2,000 ticket for the trip.
Across the area, Acuek has received an outpouring of support and donations.
More than $9,000 has been raised for Acuek to return to his homeland of Sudan and begin the journey to find his brother Geu, according to Pam Bartter, a board member of Friends of the Sudanese, which is raising the money.
"I know there has been such a strong support for me," said Acuek, who found out yesterday about the amount of money donated. "I want to thank everyone and tell them that I appreciate their efforts."
Acuek, now 27, was just a child when government troops from the north raided his village in southern Sudan. He was in the village playground when the soldiers attacked, and he rushed home, the safest place he knew.
But he found no one.
He fled and joined up with a bunch of boys from other villages in the area. They sought shelter in the bush, were found by soldiers, and eventually were taken to a refugee camp in Kenya, where Acuek spent nine years before he was given refugee status in the United States. The group of young immigrants became known as the "lost boys" of Sudan.
As they grew into men, many began to search for their families.
A stroke of luck came three years ago for Acuek, when a friend who also hailed from Acuek's village returned to their homeland and met a young man named Geu. He believed it was Acuek's brother.
After a brief phone conversation with Geu, Acuek became determined to reunite with his brother and find the rest of their family.
After the Globe reported on Acuek's quest in April, sixth-grade students at Weston Middle School decided to help.
They raffled two Red Sox tickets that were donated by a parent, raising about $250, and held two bake sales for Acuek.
At Lasell College, students have raised about $650, and Stephen Sherman, husband of the college's health director, offered to make up the difference to pay for the trip.
Acuek bought his ticket last week and plans to leave Saturday.
Meghan Irons can be reached at mirons@globe.com. 