Wednesday, November 14, 2012

From my inbox

Sometimes it really helps to read an individual story. The problems and issues are so broad, so endless, so overwhelming. Reading Chep's story this morning made me feel like that "drop in the ocean" still makes a difference. That it still matters to care, and to do what little we can.

World Food Programme


Joyce --

Chep Makur ChuotAfter my father was killed and I lost my home, the rest of my family and I fled South Sudan in search of a safe place. We spent endless days with empty stomachs and uncertainty, not knowing when our next meal would be.

My mother took us to the Kakuma camp in Kenya, where we finally found refuge. I spent the next 12 years of my life in that camp, where WFP school meals helped nourish my body and mind and helped me get the education that took me to where I am today: a college graduate with a job as a mechatronic engineer.

I still remember the first time I entered the crowded room of my school in the Kakuma refugee camp. I was a frightened 9 year-old boy, but the smell of porridge filled my nose and calmed my nerves. I soon came to cherish that hot and filling meal.

Food and school became the only certainties for me and the other children. I looked forward to them every day. It would have been difficult to learn if I was hungry. Instead, school meals made sure my classmates and I kept coming back day after day.

With the support of WFP’s school meals, my studies brought me all the way to Australia where I enrolled in university. I just graduated a couple of weeks ago and found a well-paying job programming robots. Staying in school gave me not only the ability to do what I love but also an opportunity to help my country.

I want to return to South Sudan and help rebuild it. I hope to one day raise my family there. Everything I learned in school while living at the Kakuma refugee camp contributed to my success, and now I want to bring this success back home.

Thank you for being part of the WFP community -- and, a part of the solution to hunger. Your continued support is giving more students like me the chance to escape poverty and hunger. It’s leading us to a better future, instead of a dead-end.

Sincerely,

Chep Makur Chuot



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The World Food Programme (WFP) fights hunger worldwide, saving lives during emergencies while building a better future for the next generation. WFP is funded solely by voluntary donations.

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7 comments:

We Are Bound Together said...

Wow, that's so heartwarming! It's things like this that keep you going.

janice said...

That is lovely.

Now where it the link to the etsy shop? I can't find it anywhere.

joyce said...

Upper right side of my blog?
The letter isn't really that personal to ME, but is sent via email to all donees to WFP.

Teresa said...

The etsy button does appear to have gone missing?

joyce said...

Weird? It shows on my computer, but there's no Etsy shop when you look on my darfur blog?!

joyce said...

http://www.etsy.com/shop/joycebaglady4darfur?ref=em

And man am I frustrated with our wifi! I have new things to add to the shop, but lots of wifi problems that I really ope to surmount by the weekend.

joyce said...
This comment has been removed by the author.