Sons of Sudan Update
Thanks to the prayers and generosity of many, God richly blessed CCU's Sons of Sudan project. The financial support of many faithful donors has made possible an extraordinary success story which has transformed the lives of the "lost boys" and will have an extraordinary impact on the future of their tragic country.
The Lost Boys of Sudan make up more than 27,000 of the Dinka ethnic group who were displaced and/or orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War, in which approximately two million were killed. Villages were attacked and girls were raped, killed, taken as slaves to the north or became servants or adopted children for other Sudanese families.
But some of the five to eight year old boys escaped, fleeing to neighboring countries. Out of estimated 27,000-30,000 young refugees, only about 10,000 survived the hardships of starvation, wild animals, disease and hostile soldiers. Some were resettled in Kenya, others made their way to the United States where they were adopted by churches and community service groups, and some managed to earn their high school diplomas.
In the spring of 2004, CCU began working to provide these young men a quality Christ-centered college education. After assessing their readiness, CCU brought them through a process of preparation for college and integration into various CCU degree programs. Generous friends of CCU provided the financial resources to make the dream of a college education come true for these lost boys.
Today, here is where they are:
Wal Biet '08 (B.S. Biology)
Manwuour Dior '08 (B.A. Social Science)
Kuai Kuai '08 (B.S. Business Administration)
Jor Jor '09 (B.S. Business Administration)
Abraham Yol '09 (B.A. Global Studies)
Gabe Majok '09 (B.S. Accounting)
Yai Lyai is close to graduating with a degree in accounting
One of these young men is now in Sudan where he has started a ministry which will be drilling wells, providing health care, and consulting on agricultural matters. Another has medical school in his future and plans to go home to Sudan to minister to the physical and spiritual needs of his troubled people.
Only God knows the final outcome, but we believe these young men are destined to 'pay forward' what they have received here at CCU. God will call them to be an incredible blessing to their home land that has suffered so much. This would not have been possible without the financial support which many have helped to provide.
As CCU sunsets the Sons of Sudan Project, we are learning from the valuable cross-cultural contributions the Sons of Sudans made to the CCU community, and we are embarking on a new initiative that will serve international students and children of missions by providing scholarships that will grant these students access to quality Christ-centered education at Colorado Christian University.
In 2009, we had 125 international students who applied to CCU and were accepted. However, only 2 of those students actually enrolled. The financial costs of attending a private, Christian college in the United States can be prohibitively high -- especially when travel costs over and above tuition, room, and board are factored into the equation.
In order to empower high caliber foreign students, Colorado Christian University has recently created the Great Commission Scholarship Fund for international students and missionary children. If you would like to learn more about the Great Commission Scholarship Fund and how you can impact students' lives through a financial gift or prayer support of this effort, please contact CCU's Office of Development at 303-963-3330 or ccudevelopment@ccu.edu. We'd be happy to share additional details of the need and vision that will provide the critical support for these deserving students.