Ger Duany, Child Soldier

Ger Duany is an actor, author, and model who was born in what is now South Sudan, Africa.

As a child in the early 1980's, Ger was recruited against his will to be a soldier in the Sudanese civil war. 

When he was 14 years old, he escaped to Ethiopia, then Kenya.

A humanitarian effort brought 3,800 boys to the United States, and at 16 years old, Ger was one of them - one of the Lost Boys of Sudan.

There were also Lost Girls, however they are mostly ignored by historical narratives. Females were considered subordinate in every way, and there were overt inequalities regarding the Lost Girls.

Ger could neither read nor write English, however he learned, and eventually completed a college education. 

In 2014, the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees (UNHCR) helped Ger reunite with his mother, and family members in Kenya's refugee camp.

Ger now helps spread awareness about the work of UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency.

"The Good Lie" (2014), is a feature-length movie about an American woman, portrayed by Reese Witherspoon, welcoming Sudanese refugees to the United States, and one into her home. It was produced by Ron Howard.

Ger stars as Jeremiah.

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson.

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