My Opinion Counts

Are you aware of the “Lost Boys of Sudan”? 3,800 refugees, dubbed the Lost Boys of Sudan by reporters and aid workers, have been resettled in cities around the United States. These were nearly all boys who had been separated by relatives during the war in Sudan. Can you imagine your child being separated from you and then left to fend for themselves in a war torn country? They endured months of wandering during which thousands died of hunger, disease or attacks by bandits or wild animals.

Olympic officials have chosen Lopez Lomong to carry the American flag during Friday’s opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Games. Teammates chose him Wednesday as a way to honor his and other’s struggles and to send a message to human rights organizations that these atrocities are not being ignored.

Lomong is a member of Team Darfur, a group of athletes committed to raising awareness about chronic violence in the Darfur region of western Sudan.

He was among roughly 3,800 refugees, dubbed the Lost Boys of Sudan by reporters and aid workers, who were resettled in cities around the United States.