Lopez Lomong was six years old when a militia group kidnapped him from a Sudanese church, determined to turn him into a child soldier. He managed to escape and walk for three days to Kenya. He spent ten years in a refugee camp before finally immigrating to the U.S.
This year, Lopez will compete for the U.S. in the 2008 Olympics. While at the games, he will join Team Darfur, an alliance of almost 400 athletes from around the world raising awareness about Darfur.
Sudanese refugee and Olympic athlete
The Olympic Games can be a festival of good will, an opportunity for all nations to come together in a spirit of cooperation and common humanity. But tragically, China, the host of this year's games and a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, isn't living up to these values.
The Team Darfur Olympians are speaking out—let them know you stand with them.
The Team Darfur athletes are speaking out on the Olympic stage, showing incredible courage by advocating for the people of Darfur from the heart of China. Driven by the same determination that made them Olympians, these incredible athletes know that it is our resilience and resolve that will end this genocide.
Send a message of support to Lopez and his fellow Team Darfur Olympians.
Donate to Help Save Darfur - Help build the political pressure needed to end the crisis in Darfur by supporting the Save Darfur Coalition's crucial awareness and advocacy programs.Click here now to make a secure, tax-deductible online donation.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Breaking news: China has revoked the visa for Joey Cheek, Olympic gold-medalist and co-founder of
Team Darfur. This will not stop the other olympians, so show your support.
1 comment:
Former - Lost Boy of Sudan - and now King of Flagstaff, Lopez Lomong is a world class athelete. A rising junior at Northern Arizona University. tehre one thing he said and i quote
" When we were in Africa, we didn't know what was there for us as kids--we just ran. God was planning all of this stuff for me, and I didn't know. Now I'm using running to get the word out about how horrible things were back in Sudan during the war. Sometimes these things are not on CNN, so if I put out the word, I hope people can get the information. Right now, similar terrible things are going on in Darfur; people are running out of Darfur, and I put myself in their shoes."
I think this is an amazing post about Lopez!
Cheers,
Jamayne
Post a Comment