Joseph Okello

I am Joseph Okello, born in 1980 at a place called Abul in the Raja district in Sudan. Abul was a farming village that grew peanuts, cassava and grain. I lived in Abul with my parents and younger brother and sister until about the age of 7, when war broke out in my home country.

 

In the dark of night in 1987, I heard the sound of guns and screaming. I left, running to a direction that I don't recall, without knowing that I was leaving my people and my village life behind. My feet were bare and when I injured one foot, someone picked me up and carried me. That is why I believe that God was at work during my journey and throughout my rough living in the bush among strangers. Along with the other boys who were running, I reached Ethiopia. We were put in Panyudo refugee camp by the International Committee for the Red Cross [ICRC]. I didn't know where the rest of my family members were. I believed that everybody was dead and I was the only one left. Due to what I saw with my own eyes that night, I thought that all those who remained in Sudan were dead.     

 

In 1991, there was an uprising in Ethiopia that caused the ICRC to move us to several other refugee camps, but nothing changed in terms of security. This led to our relocation to Lokichogio, a town in Kenya where we got better protection from the refugee agencies and the Kenyan government. The ICRC handed us over to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees [UNHCR]. The UNHCR finally relocated us to Kakuma refugee camp in 1992.

 

How I got to Divine Word College Seminary

 

At Kakuma, in 1994, I got a chance to attend school for the first time in my life. I was 14 years old. I grew up at Kakuma with friends who were from different cultures and backgrounds. I told people at Kakuma that my parents and relatives were all dead, though I didn't actually know for sure.

 

 By 1995, I thought that I should go to Sudan and find out about my parents and other family members and let them know where I was. I tried to send a Red Cross letter to my home area in Abul in 1996 but nothing came of it. My dream of going to Sudan came true in 1998 when I made my way back to Sudan to search for my people. Before I could cover a long distance, I met another person who had met my uncle, a priest, at a place called Rumbek. He encouraged me to go there first to see my uncle.

 

 I took his advice and met with my uncle in Rumbek, who did not know that I was alive. He was happy to see me and he asked me to tell him all the stories about how I left. He said that my parents and some of the family members were still in Abul, though some of them were killed. My parents believed that I was dead. I told him that I should go to see them. My uncle decided that I should go back to Kakuma and study, because there is a lot of insecurity and danger on the way to my home area. He promised to send a message to my parents to let them know that I was alive, and said I could go home in the future if the security situation improves. I immediately went back to Kakuma and up to this date, I have never gone back to Sudan.

 

As my life story shows, I went through many difficulties and I do say that God has a plan for me and that is why he let me survive through all these hardships. Many of my friends were eaten by wild animals and many more died as a result of sickness, hunger or thirst. As I was going through all these trials, I never suffered from any diseases or had even a headache. That is why I say God was protecting me so that I may follow the plan that He has for me.

 

I may be a priest or a brother or any other person who works in the Church. I do pray that God keeps up His protection for me so that I can follow His work of helping people and doing something for the Church. I have a plan of becoming a priest but God will show me the direction to go. I pray that He helps me achieve my plan.

 

God bless.

 Joseph Okello.