David Schroeder The Afro International
Jacob Deng Building a School in Duk Padiet, South Sudan
As a seven-year-old boy Jacob Deng fled his village in southern Sudan, Duk Padiet, in the province of Jonglei, narrowly escaping the death and destruction brought by militias from the north. The trek was a harrowing journey first to Ethiopia, and then back through Sudan to a massive refugee camp in Kenya called Kakuma. As one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, he lived in Kakuma for over a decade. Realizing the need for an education, Jacob used his entrepreneurial skills to get to a boarding school in Kenya, and later made arrangements to come to Canada as a refugee. He has lived in Halifax since 2003 with his wife Jenty and their two young boys.
