Keer, an inspiring story from South Sudan to America

Last year, I attended a chic holiday party where I noticed a cool group of East Africas, one of them blind who looked like models Intrigued, I introduced myself, and we had a brief, friendly conversation before returning to the party.

Two weeks later, I spotted the same man walking down my street in New York. I ran over to reintroduce myself, and to my surprise, he revealed that we were neighbors. We exchanged contact information, and a couple of months later, when we both were in town, we met up for coffee. During our conversation, I learned about his incredible journey.

Originally from South Sudan, he had been enslaved as a child during the war. He recalled the confusion of his childhood, not understanding why he was denied the education that other children received. One day, his slave owner brutally beat him and rubbed chili peppers in his eyes, leaving him for dead because he had lost a goat. A kind Muslim man found him, treated his wounds, and tried to save his sight, but the infection had already lead to blindness. 

Despite all of this, he managed to escape to the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. There, a volunteer from the US recognized his optimism and intelligence and started to find steps to bring him to the U.S. With this help, he began received medical care, an education, and a place to live—just down the street from me. 

Now, he works as a human rights activist at the UN. Recently, a journalist named Chol from South Sudan wanted to interview him, so I offered my apartment as the venue and volunteered to film it. With the help of Nikki Bates, we edited the footage, and it aired on South Sudanese TV. It was a privilege to help share his powerful story with the world.

Big Shout Out to Nikki Bates/DBF productions for editing and sound!

THANK YOU