James Zhick Chuol

Summary

James was orphaned when his father was shot in front of him during the South Sudan conflict.

He escaped, alone and traumatised, to Uganda where he was reunited with his auntie, who raised him.

He says food from Feed The Hungry helped him stay in school when he felt like giving up. He wants to become a businessman so he can provide for his auntie.

Hear from James

“The food was not here. We were, we were hungry. I was struggling, and then I just fell down because of hunger.”

~ James

James’ story

James ran through the bush to escape the fighting, hiding in the long grass to avoid gunmen and desperately trying to unsee what he had witnessed.

“When you see someone has been shot in front of you, you feel like you are a dead person,” he says. “When I saw very many people are dying, I just turned off my eyes. I don’t want to see all those things. I said, God just save me, and actually God answered my prayers. Now I’m still alive.”

He was alive but struggling with the trauma of seeing his father shot in front of him, when he arrived, afraid and alone, in Uganda.

“It was a very heavy war,” he says. “It destroyed properties of people, even death of people. They killed my family. I’m the only person who survived. I could only pray that all these things would go away.”

In a refugee settlement, James was reunited with his auntie. At last, he had someone to love him back from the brink.

“My auntie is the one who takes care of me,” he says.

But he struggled to concentrate in class, living with the grief of losing his family, and wondering what would become of his life. His lack of resources made everything more difficult.

“It’s very hard to afford money to pay for school so you can continue studying. But the only thing I was thinking was, ‘If I keep going on with my study, my life story will change forever’. That’s why I’m continuing with my schooling.”

His determination and his auntie’s love pushed him onward.

And one more thing made a vital difference in James’s life – the provision of a hot, nutritious meal at school through Feed The Hungry.

Suddenly, his stomach was filled, and his heart began to inflate with hope.

“We appreciate the people who bring food here. Because when the food was not here, we were hungry!

“[Without food] you may lose your concentration when the teacher is teaching. One time I went home but I got nothing… I was struggling and then I just fell down because of hunger.

“But the food which was brought here is very delicious. So good!”

A meal at school meant he no longer had to walk home in the middle of the day in search of something to eat. He could stay and study, eat with his friends, and enjoy his education. For the first time, he could picture a new future – and dream of a day when he could care for his auntie as she has cared for him.

“My dream is when I complete my education, I would like to become a trader. I want to be a businessman!”

You can help feed a child like James today. Your gift of just $6 on Take Away Hunger Day will feed a hungry child at school for a whole month. More than a meal, you’re providing a future!