A South Sudanese refugee who ran towards education after being taken as a child soldier is now a University of British Columbia student and athlete, and he is just getting started.
sa国际传媒淲here I was born, if you donsa国际传媒檛 know how to run, you wonsa国际传媒檛 make it,sa国际传媒� said James Magok Achuli, who is now studying international relations at UBCO while running on the cross-country team.
At 13 years old, rebels stormed Achulisa国际传媒檚 school in South Sudan killing his classmates. When the shooting subsided, the survivors were told sa国际传媒渨esa国际传媒檙e taking you to safety,sa国际传媒� but that couldnsa国际传媒檛 have been further from the truth.
Achuli said that he was taken to a rebel base where he trained to fight in the civil war with guns so big his small 13-year-old body could hardly lift them.
There, he quickly learned that his most valuable assets were not his legs, which he had relied on as a boy to run to get food and water as well as herd cattle with his Mundari tribe, but his brain. Achulisa国际传媒檚 family prioritized education, which was not common within the Mundari community, who are traditionally farmers and cattle herders. As a boy, Achuli could already read, write, interpret maps and spoke several languages. His knowledge and intelligence were quickly recognized and Achuli became the rebel leadersa国际传媒檚 closest assistant and confidant.
While many of his friends died in the war, Achulisa国际传媒檚 role kept him away from the bloody front lines.
One day, Achuli saw his opportunity to escape a life of war. He kept a go-bag packed with his precious books, a journal and his few possessions at all times, in hopes that one day he would have the opportunity to run away. On an otherwise normal day, the rebel leader asked Achuli to fetch him some cigarettes.
Out of sight, he ran
He ran far and fast with his book bag, crossing a raging river and eventually making it to a church. At the church, a group of people were preparing to make the dangerous trek from South Sudan to Uganda, where they could claim refugee status and hopefully find peace.
With the group of strangers and only his books for comfort, Achuli began the voyage through the jungle toward the possibility of safety.
He said that they would travel at night to avoid the patrolling rebel troops. During the day, Achuli and the other kids would sleep in trees, away from the scavenging hyenas that claimed a child in the group. There were many dangers on their journey, explained Achuli. He said that he was lucky to only be stung by scorpions as his friend died after being bitten by a venomous snake.
At one point, the group was ambushed by rebels. Without official documents and identification to prove their innocence, the group of refugees narrowly escaped capture and death by using Achulisa国际传媒檚 detailed journals, kept in his book bag, to show that they were not involved in the war, they were simply escaping it.
The group travelled for approximately 500 kilometres through dense jungle before reaching Uganda.
sa国际传媒淲hen I crossed the border, I remember going down on my knees and tears just pouring downsa国际传媒� I donsa国际传媒檛 know if I was crying or laughingsa国际传媒� I cansa国际传媒檛 describe it.sa国际传媒�
After reaching the refugee camp, Achuli was taken in by UNICEF which has a program for vulnerable children.
While at the UNICEF camp, Achuli became known as the boy who carried books and acted as an interpreter and informal educator. He worked to break down gender-based barriers after witnessing the trauma of girls being married off at a young age and not having equal access to education. He has made it his mission to work as an activist and help those without a voice. Achuli continues the advocacy work to this day and hopes to help refugees and protect childrensa国际传媒檚 rights around the world.
sa国际传媒淟ife (at the camp) was better than the one I had in South Sudan but I still had memories of what had happened, and I missed my parents and my family.sa国际传媒�
It was there that for the first time in years, Achuli could wake up knowing he would eat that day instead of worrying about sustenance, which meant he could focus his energy on education.
sa国际传媒淪chool was probably one of the best things that I enjoyed in the camp, I really loved reading.sa国际传媒�
He excelled in academics, and spent his free time reading and writing in his journals and playing soccer with the other children.
The World Wide Web of opportunity
sa国际传媒淎t the end of my Grade 10, I had this friend who had an idea of what the internet was.sa国际传媒�
His friend said that sa国际传媒榯he internet has a lot of opportunities and scholarships that you could apply for,sa国际传媒� and Achuli was determined to use the elusive internet as a tool to secure a better future.
Almost every day, Achuli would run to the closest computer in an internet cafe located 10 km from the refugee camp. There, the cafe owner helped him learn how to use a computer and search for opportunities to further his education.
In 2019, Achuli received an email that changed his life. Sitting in the usually quiet internet cafe, he read out the news that he had been awarded a full scholarship to attend the United World College (UWC) in Armenia. The cafe erupted into cheers. The cafe owner, who had helped him learn to use a computer, jumped up and down with him, knowing that this was Achulisa国际传媒檚 ticket out of the refugee camp.
Cross-country Canada
He graduated with his diploma from UWC in 2021 and was then awarded the University of British Columbiasa国际传媒檚 Karen McKellin International Leader of Tomorrow (KMILOT) scholarship to study at the UBCO, a place he had always dreamed of visiting.
Shortly after arriving in Kelowna, Achuli was exploring campus on foot when he was stopped by the UBCO cross country and track coach, and two-time Canadian Olympian Malindi Elmore. She noted his speed and asked him how far he had run before offering Achuli the opportunity to train with the team.
sa国际传媒淩unning is therapy for me,sa国际传媒� said Achuli.
He now balances varsity athletics with a full course load in his bachelorsa国际传媒檚 degree. He is working towards a double major in International Relations and Political Science. Achuli is also writing a novel titled sa国际传媒淭he Boy Who Carried Books,sa国际传媒� and plans to further his education with a masters in his quest to help defend the rights of vulnerable people around the world.
READ MORE: 1 million children refugees from South Sudansa国际传媒檚 civil war
Jacqueline.Gelineau@kelownacapnews.com
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