Pathways of Success Experiences Among the “Lost Boys” of Sudan: A Case Study Approach

Abstract

In recent years, changes in the nature of warfare have increased the risks for children. In the decade 1986–1996, UNICEF (1996) estimates that two million children were killed in wars and one million orphaned or separated from their parents. Statistics on the total number of children separated from their parents are lacking, but in 2003, 12,800 unaccompanied refugee children applied for asylum in developed countries—4 % of total asylum applicants (UNHCR, 2004). These children, living without the support and protection of adults, are a particularly vulnerable group (Hepburn, Williamson, & Wolfram, 2004). Occasionally, it is deemed in the best interest of children without adult support (known as separated or unaccompanied children) to resettle them in another country, especially when their parents are deceased or untraceable and they are unlikely to return to their own country because of continuing conflict. Such was the case for a group of youth known in the media as the “Lost Boys” of Sudan.