A RUDE AWAKENING

Text by Helle Maj, Photo by Jørn Stjerneklar
If eyes could kill, Saree Mading would have been dead by now. She is standing in front of Alfred Kolnyin with her finger pointed in his face, warning him that if he wants to make something of his life, he will have to work hard for it. " You wonīt get something for nothing in the Silicon Valley", she says.

Alfred Kolnyin has actually worked harder than most people in his short life. He has walked thousands of miles through hell in order to survive. He has been on the run since age six, and now an American volunteer stands before him, lecturing him on the hardships of life. And a woman at that.
- I miss my friends back in Africa, the 20 year old Alfred Kolnyin says dryly.

Sister Maureen is the temporary savior of the boys in this sea of confusion. She has worked in Sudan and the last few years she also worked in the Kakuma refugee camp. She is now being paid by Catholic Charities for helping the boys through the first difficult months in the Silicon Valley.

Between 300-500 of the 4500 boys who are coming to the United States are still under 18 years old. It is the first time ever that the UN has recommended a relocation to a third country for such a large number of unaccompanied children. Before this decision was made, the future of the children was endlessly discussed: Would it be good for them to go to the United States? What other options did they have? The answer to the last question decided their fate.

The answer was: The boys cannot possibly return to Sudan. The war is not likely to end anytime soon. They have no possibility of getting work and residence permits in Kenya – the Kenyan government was not going to grant them that. They cannot be reunited with their families, since all attempts at finding their families have been to no avail. The only alternative to moving to the United States would be to stay in the dusty Kakuma refugee camp in the Turkana Desert.

But the vision of America has turned into a bit of a nightmare for many of the boys. Especially for the boys who have been sent to the Silicon Valley, which is one of the most expensive areas in the United States.

- We thought we were going to go to school here and get an education. I donīt know when I will get time for that. I have to have two jobs just to afford to live here, Alfred Kolnyin says.

AMONG INFO-TECH NERDS
Fry’s is a chain of discount electronics outlets, and many employees of the Silicon Valley go there to find cheap deals on all sorts of high-tech applications. Alfred Kolnyin goes there too. Every day from early morning he restocks the shelves. He works 10 hours a day.

He knows that soon he will have to pay for everything himself. The US government only supports the first three months of his stay in the country. After that he is the master of his own fortune. And that worries him. His salary is eight dollars an hour.
- Five of us have found an apartment. The rent is 1,660 dollars a month, but then we have to pay water and electricity as well, so I guess we end up paying 2,000 dollars, he says and shakes his head in despair.

Sister Maureen understands his frustration.
- They got a 3-day video course in the American lifestyle when they were still in Kakuma in Kenya. They were shown pictures of supermarkets and learned about the coins and the political system. But it is difficult to imagine how it really is. Everything looked just fine to them. Now they are slowly starting to realize that they will still live in poverty for some years to come.

Far from all Americans experience being a part of the American Dream, and the likelihood for success of 4500 South Sudanese, speaking a broken English, is not obvious.
- They have been given some more opportunities, says Sister Maureen dryly.

There is some disagreement as to whether this is good for them.
- My first thought was: Baby, this is not right. You have uprooted these boys and planted them in a place where life is a completely different struggle, Saree Mading says and continues:
- But then my husband said: All their life they have been determined to survive. They will survive here too.

Alfred does not seem convinced. He has to start paying back his first loan: the plane ticket to the United States and the mandatory health check before departure needs to be repaid to the US government.

- I have friends in Kakuma who expect me to send them money. They need my help, but I donīt see where I will get the money from, he says.

Pictures to go with this story is available from Photo Oikoumene

Sidebar:
THE CIVIL WAR IN SUDAN

The civil war in southern Sudan is one of the longest lasting conflicts in the world today, and one of the bloodiest as well. Around two million people have been killed since the war started in 1983. Several million people have fled to neighboring countries or are displaced within Sudan.

The war is not just about Christians versus Moslems. It is also about money. Oil money.

Southern Sudan is the least developed part of Africa. There are no phone lines, no electricity, no paved roads. What little gets developed in the name of progress, rarely gets to stand long before it is bombed.

Meanwhile, the government in power in northern Sudan makes big money on oil. Money that the southern Sudanese believe they ought to get a part of.