Seeds Will Grow

6.2 mi / 10 km
June Total: 100.7 mi / 162.1 km

Today, marks the last day of my June walk in solidarity with Sudanese refugees. Though I surpassed my goal of walking 5 kilometers per day, the 162 kilometers I walked was only 8% of the journey from Nyala, Sudan to Mukono, Uganda that 13 year old Khamis* and his family took to survive.

Today I will share two pictures that Khamis* drew about his home in Nyala and the RSF takeover in 2023 that began his family’s refugee journey.

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Drawing 1: We were playing football on the field. Then a vehicle came with soldiers, it stopped under the tree. They called us.

We were scared, one boy tried to run away and they shot him, and told us if anyone run, they will shoot him again.

They told us to come together. They took four of the older boys and put them in the vehicle.

Then they told us to go back home.

Drawing 2: This is our village in Nyala.

Our house was near the river we used to see water moving. My mother planted maize in the garden near the river.

In the evening, we go to the field to play football with other children in the village. It was my favorite time of the day.

One day my mother said we must leave the village. My father did not come with us.

I miss my father very much.

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I walked in solidarity with Sudanese refugees during the month of June. I surpassed my goal of walking 3.1 mi / 5 km per day, but we did not reach the goal of raising $4,000 USD for Trauma Rescue Aid‘s July food distribution for more than 700 Sudanese refugee families.

You can make a donation for food distribution now:
PayPal: tinyurl.com/traid2024
Venmo @ TRAID2024
Korean Won: tinyurl.com/traid25
Pledge a Monthly Donation: gofundme.com/traid2024

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*The boy’s name has been changed for this piece. His artwork and story are his own, as reported by Trauma Rescue Aid. Shared with permission.