Didinga Foundation Fund
The Didinga Foundation was formed in 2008 in response to the apparent need for major redevelopment of the war-torn region of the Didinga Hills in the southeastern equatorial region of Sudan. The Didinga tribe lives in this region, previously known for being a community rich of natural resources and cattle. During the civil war in southern Sudan, which spanned from the 1980s until 2005, hundreds of thousands of Sudanese were forced to flee their villages. Family members who survived were displaced and faced horrific situations. Many of the children ended up orphaned at Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. As a result of the war, the land of the Didinga people was completely destroyed.
This foundation was started by a group of lost boys and girls from the Didinga tribe who were relocated to the United States. There are about two hundred lost boys and girls specifically from the Didinga tribe living in the United States, and they were hand picked during a long and tedious selection process back in Africa. Although members of the Didinga tribe living in the United States have been extremely successful, they cannot ignore the cries of their people suffering at Kakuma refugee camp and back home in Sudan. Relatives and friends are suffering from a lack of nutrition and medical care. As they are being forced to leave the refugee camps soon because a peace agreement was signed, there is the harsh realization that there is nothing left in their homeland. The Didinga Tribe has little remaining in their once beautiful and prosperous village.
The initial start of this foundation began with a simple discussion between a few members of the Didinga tribe, including president Mario Lokidicho, and has now grown into an established organization. With representatives from their tribe across nearly a dozen states, the Didinga people created a common goal: to rebuild their homeland so that it may grow and succeed for generations to come. Chukudum, which is a village in the Didinga region, was chosen as an ideal reconstruction site due to its central location. Our primary focus will be providing clean water, a school, and a medical facility so that the Didinga people may return to the ideal life they previously had. We want to assist this tribe by helping to create a self-sustaining society through providing these basic human needs. The impact that we are expecting from this project is to reduce unnecessary deaths from disease, provide everyone with a solid education, and give people hope for the future.
This foundation is not only meant to improve the lives of Sudanese in Africa, but also to create a true sense of accomplishment for members of the Didinga tribe living in the United States. Although these lost girls and boys continue on their path to success in the United States, they won�t feel whole until they finish the one dream that they have had since fleeing their homeland. They are all waiting for the day to see their village as it was, and feel confident that their families and friends are no longer suffering. We are hoping that the Didinga Foundation will fill in the missing pieces to an incredibly strong and willful community.
For more information about the foundation or for ways to get involved please contact Mario at:
