Mangok Bol M.S. '13, the academic administrator of the Mandel Center for the Humanities and the International and Global Studies program, returned on March 25 to the University from his three-week journey to South Sudan. He made the trip to search for his nieces and nephew, who were abducted from their village of Kolnyang when their parents, Bol's brother and sister-in-law, were murdered amid ethnic conflict in the region.

In an interview with the Justice, Bol explained that he had two purposes for his trip. First, he had not returned to his home village or seen his family there in 26 years, and felt that it was imperative that he return to console his mother and other immediate relatives in the wake of the tragedy. Upon arriving in South Sudan, he attended the funeral of his murdered brother. "When the funeral was taking place that Saturday, I saw my mom there and other members of my family, so to them it was not full relief, but when they saw me, most of them were a bit relieved from what they were going through and what I was also going through," said Bol, explaining the feelings that he and his family shared upon seeing each other after so many years.

Bol's second purpose was to provide information and assistance to non-governmental organizations searching for his nieces and nephews. He explained to the Justice that the NGOs did not have details on the abduction that had occurred in his village. "Some of these organizations already had heard about what happened but they didn't have the specific details of how it happened and the children who were abducted, so I was able to provide them with the information that I had: the names of the children, the age[s] and ... the appearance from the pictures," he said.

At this time, Bol says that they have not located the children, but he is being kept up-to-date about the searches via email. "I'm very hopeful something will come out, but at the same time, it could take forever," he recognized. He also noted the importance of finding the children soon because of their ages. "The time urgency is also an issue. These children are young. If they stay there for more than two years, they may forget [who their parents really are]," he said. According to a Feb. 14 article in the Boston Globe, his three nieces are eight, six and four years old, respectively, and his nephew is two years old.

While he was in South Sudan, Bol received substantial support from both the Brandeis community and the larger local community. For instance, an online fundraiser has raised over $31,000 for use at his discretion, such as funding travel back to South Sudan, supporting the search or to support the children should they be found. Bol explained that, following the publication of the Feb. 14 article in the Boston Globe about his journey, he was contacted separately by two women in the Boston area who had read the article and were asking to give him money to support his travel expenses to South Sudan.

Following advice from a friend on how to handle the women's offers, he asked another friend, Hannah Kahl, who attended University of New Hampshire with Bol, to set up the online fundraiser. Bol also mentioned that Kahl had been to his village in South Sudan and had met his family.

Bol expressed appreciation for the gifts that he has received, especially from people who he has not even met. "I would go to every door to door to say thank you, but honestly, I have it in my heart that it is amazing that people who didn't know me just went in and put their money," he said. He further noted the actions of one donor to the online fundraiser who donated from his allowance. "I saw a message from an 11-year-old boy who said, 'Look, Mangok, I have read about South Sudan. I also read about the Lost Boys of Sudan and then now your story, so I'm giving you my allowance, $14, to donate to you.' That is powerful from this 11-year-old boy. It just amazes you," Bol said.

In addition to community support, Brandeis also supported Bol with official letters signed by University President Frederick Lawrence, which helped to support his morale.

"I had received letters from the president and the president's office, showing me wherever I was that I was a member of the Brandeis community and that the Brandeis community was behind me in whatever I was doing," he commented. Holding these letters, he said, gave him the "strength to go there and try to find these children."

Right now, Bol said that he asks for strength from friends at Brandeis, as the tragedy is still present. "For me to feel that the case didn't just disappear in the head of people, that there is a sense that one of the employees is still going through this and he's continuing to look for his [nieces and nephew], I think that is a way to keep me really focused," he said.