Kou is on his way to Africa

At this hour, Kou is probably in Amsterdam awaiting his flight to Uganda, where he’ll apply for documents to enter South Sudan.  Amanda Lyons, John Colombo and I brought him to the airport in Minneapolis this morning for an emotional but upbeat send-off.

I parked at the curb.  Before he entered the terminal, we took a moment to reflect on how far Kou has come in his life’s journey — from “Lost Boy,” to political refugee, to human-rights advocate returning to his native land.  We reflected on how far we all have come, all of us who have been compelled to join Kou in trying to stop child abduction in South Sudan.

Almost exactly five months ago, it was just Kou and two friends, trying to get a handle on this unjust crime, wondering what we could do from Minnesota.  Today we have a strong network of supporters, hundreds of pages of knowledge and planning, and a team on the way to South Sudan.  Robyn Skrebes and Kait Dougherty will leave on Wednesday to join Kou, who is, I believe, full of more purpose and determination than he has ever been.

At curbside, we all clasped hands, and I declared that Kou, henceforth, is a “Found Boy.”

–Daniel Lynx Bernard