When the Mabior family fled conflict in their home country, Sudan, in 2015, they found themselves living in Kakuma, a camp initially set up for the “Lost Boys” of Sudan in the early 1990s. Many will remember how some 20,000 boys from the Nuer and Dinka ethnic groups were displaced or orphaned during the 1987–2005 Second Sudanese Civil War. Today, Kakuma is home to up to 200,000 refugees from across the region.

Life in Kakuma: Responsibility and Risk

As the oldest sister, Anyieth quickly became the head of the Mabior household, responsible for providing for her three younger siblings and her own three children. “I feel like I’m the mother of the whole family,” Anyieth says.

When asked about life in Kakuma, Anyieth recalls the tremendous responsibility placed on women to care for children. “Not only your own children! Sometimes your siblings or other family pass away, and then you’re the one taking care of all these children, making sure that they have food and shoes. Some men, when they come to the camp, will sit idly or leave, placing all the responsibility on women. It’s really tough.

“You may be given some food items, but you need to find firewood or charcoal to cook them. When you go out to look for those things, women get attacked, violated, and injured. It’s risky, but you have to go in order to cook for the children.”

Anyieth’s brother, Bol, was only 16 when the family arrived at the camp. He explains: “When you are in a refugee camp, there’s not much that you can do. You’re just waiting for assistance. You cannot find work. The only good thing in Kakuma was that we were able to go to school. But we never had the opportunity to gain work experience or develop skills that we could use.”

A New Beginning: Resettlement in Canada

Bol remembers what it felt like to learn that his family would be resettled in Canada with the support of a local church working in partnership with World Renew.

“We were delighted when we heard about coming to Canada,” says Bol. “All these ordeals and suffering were coming to an end. We were looking forward to experiencing a new life. So we were very grateful.”

“It was a very emotional time,” adds Anyieth, “saying goodbye to people there. They prayed for us, and we prayed for them, but it was difficult. I was sad, leaving them and knowing that the situation is still not good.”

When the family arrived in Canada, they began the process of settling in—a time marked by both excitement and challenge.

“As you can imagine, it can be very difficult when you arrive in a new country,” Anyieth explains. “You’re seeing a completely different place that you’ve never experienced before. You don’t have neighbours to visit, which felt isolating at first. Eventually, people from the church began to visit us. Through those relationships, we started to meet more people and make friends. That made things easier for us.”

Finding Belonging and Looking Ahead

“I’m very grateful for the church,” Bol adds. “The most important thing is that they made us feel part of their family. We are very grateful for the way they welcomed us.”

“At first, we still felt a strong connection to our home that we left behind, even though it’s not secure there,” Bol continues. “But we’re also very happy to be in this adopted home—Canada—that has become our home. It feels good when you have a place where there is security and freedom. It gives you a sense of belonging. I call both ‘home’: my birth country and my adopted country.”

Reflecting on their journey, Anyieth shares a message of gratitude and encouragement: “So many people still need help. Many people who are still in the camp are women caring for children and family members. They need support. I wanted to use my voice to say we are thankful, and to encourage continued compassion for those in need.”

Bol agrees. “What I want people to know,” he says with a smile, “is that when you help somebody, it’s very rewarding. There are many people we left in the camp who feel hopeless, but they have a lot of potential. The help you provide is not in vain. One day, those people can help others too.”