Abraham Rair Garang was our speaker today talking about his Sudan homeland. He shared this historical video with us before sharing his experiences. Many of us may not be familiar with the history of Sudan, and there are other good videos available to learn from, including NPR and the Economist.

 https://youtu.be/LkWldwFdTPo

Abraham was born in the small village of Langkap and lost his Father at a young age. He spent 12 years in a refugee camp before connections made through social media gave him the opportunity to come to the USA. You can learn more about his history though the FB page, Help Abraham's Family. The economy in the world's newest Country is weak and unstable with high unemployment and 300% inflation. Oil provides 98% of the revenue to the Country where most of the population live on $1 a day. Life expectancy is around 57 years and there is high maternal and infant mortality. Many areas have no electricity or fresh water and sanitation is a huge problem. Since the start of civil war on 2013, the numerous tribes and factions in the South and North have committed atrocities that are detailed elsewhere, including https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Sudanese_Civil_War. Abraham hopes to be able to help his remaining family when he competes his education at UW Whitewater. He included his home address and phone number if you would like to reach out to him.