(reposted from http://pacodes.blogspot.com/)
By Erin Wood
of the Journal Star
Posted Jul 24, 2008 @ 09:40 PM
EAST PEORIA —
Many college students have a hard time committing to weekend plans, let alone a pledge to rebuild a community in Sudan.
But
recent Illinois Central College graduate Matt Hoffman vowed to make a
difference - one book at a time - in the lives of the "Lost Boys."
Over
the past two decades, more than 27,000 boys have escaped villages in
southern Sudan during a civil war that has claimed millions of lives.
While their parents and sisters were being slaughtered, the young boys
banded together for the 1,000-mile walk to refuge.
Though
the violence mostly has subsided, the survivors have had little
incentive to return to their war-torn villages. But Hoffman and other
members of ICC's honor society, Phi Theta Kappa, want to give the Lost
Boys a reason to go home.
The
fraternity recently partnered with Chicago media company Endless Eye
Productions and national bookseller Better World Books to conceive a
plan to build and stock a library in Sudan's Punyijiar County. Over the
past few months, the effort, called "Walk Sudan," has collected more
than 8,000 books, which volunteers loaded onto a truck Thursday to be
shipped to Africa.
"We
wanted to start with a library because education is a way to empower
them," said Hoffman, adding that most of the Lost Boys have seen no more
than three books in their lives. "We want to give them something to
come back to."
Hoffman,
who graduated from ICC in May, sat down with friend Sean Fahey from
Endless Eye earlier this year to devise a plan about how to help Fahey's
friend, Justin Machien Luoi, a Lost Boy who was educated in the United
States as a refugee.
After
just an evening of brainstorming, the two set out to raise awareness
and money to rebuild part of Luoi's country. Nearly 50 members of Phi
Theta Kappa began speaking at area schools and churches during the
spring semester, asking for monetary donations as well as books. They
also sponsored a 3-mile walk from Bradley University to the Peoria
riverfront in May to raise awareness about their campaign and to
simulate the trek the Lost Boys made to refuge.
While
Hoffman has remained involved in the effort, his graduation from ICC
and move to Loyola University in Chicago required him to pass on the
reins to new Phi Theta Kappa president Thomas Aguilar, who is just as
devoted to the cause.
Aguilar
was covered in sweat Thursday, as he and other volunteers loaded the
hundreds of boxes of books onto a truck. Better World Books also is
donating texts and shipping the first batch to Sudan shortly, as
construction of the library is scheduled to begin within the next few
months. Endless Eye will follow along to capture the effort in a
documentary called "A Library for Panyijiar."
Walk
Sudan has promised the library is just the beginning of the effort to
rebuild the African community over the next 20 years. A school will
follow, Aguilar said, then a water treatment plant. The project has no
limit."This is our way of showing that Peoria can make a difference for people on the other side of the world," he said.
Erin Wood can be reached at 686-3194 or ewood@pjstar.com.
This article can also be found at the below link.
ICC-group-helps-rebuild-Sudan-village-with-stocked-library
