Brian graduated in 2003 from Taylor University with a degree in Youth Ministry. He currently lives in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and works construction. He has been to Sudan twice, the first time with Safe Harbor International. His experiences in that war-torn country inspired the making of Facing Sudan. Never having left the country before, this young man held malaria stricken children in his arms, distributed medicine and comforted people as they were dying. Brian hopes to return to Sudan again and help build a much needed medical clinic.

Safe Harbor International Relief
http://www.safeharborinternational.org/

Kenneth was born in Sudan in 1975. Growing up, he witnessed many atrocities, including an attack by government troops upon his school. To escape persecution, he fled in 1992 to Egypt and then to Kenya two years later.  Eventually finding himself at Taylor University in Indiana, Kenneth helped introduce Brian Burns to the problems facing people in South Sudan. He then founded South Sudan Voices of Hope and continues working with refugees in America.  Currently, he works for World Relief and lives in the Chicago area.

South Sudan Voices of Hope

World Relief

Dr. Ehrlich is a pediatrician with a practice in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. As a volunteer for Doctors Without Borders, he has been to many of the world's trouble spots, including Sri Lanka and Darfur. While on these missions, Dr. Ehrlich brought with him paper and crayons in order to document what the children have seen and experienced. His work in Sri Lanka was featured in a documentary entitled Rice and Honey.

Facing Sudan will feature many of the drawings that Dr. Ehrlich brought back with him from Sudan.

To see the drawings from Darfur, click here.

For more information about Rice and Honey, click here.

Salva Dut lives in Rochester, New York. He is what many refer to as a "Lost Boy." In 1985, he was driven from his home in South Sudan due to that nation's brutal civil war. He ended up leading several kids on a dangerous walk from Sudan into Ethiopia and Kenya. After coming to the United States as a refugee, Salva went to college and currently runs his non-profit organization, "Water for Sudan." He sees the survival of his nation resting on a very simple idea: safe drinking water will bring stability. Earlier this year, Salva traveled back to Sudan and drilled several wells, bringing water to over 17,000 people.

For more information on Water for Sudan, click here.

Here's a USA Today article on Salva.

Jackie Kraus lives and breathes Sudan. As one of the board members of the Chicago Association for the Lost Boys of Sudan (CALBOS), Jackie works daily with the Chicago-area Sudanese community. She helps with scholarships, housing and any other necessities that the young men need. The Lost Boys affectionately refer to her as "Mama Jackie."  She has also forged a bond with the Episcopal Church in Sudan and has made several trips to that nation and will visit again in early Spring of 2006.

Chicago Association for the Lost Boys of Sudan (CALBOS)

One day while reading the New York Times, Martha Cook's life changed. A Nicholas Kristof article about Darfur contained several pictures.  The photo of a dead child in the sand brought tears to her eyes and she realized that she needed to do something.  She then organized petition drives and founded an organization entitled Chicago Alliance to End Genocide.

To read the Kristof article, click here.