His Excellency Arturo Sarukhan, Ambassador of Mexico
and Mrs. Veronica Valencia-Sarukhan
with Refugees International

Cordially Invite You To

THE YEAR OF SUDAN: What Lies Ahead


featuring

Valentino Achak Deng
Sudanese Lost Boy and Subject of the International Bestselling Novel What is the What

and

Michael Gerson
The Washington Post


Tuesday, March 2, 2010
6:30 to 8:30 pm

Mexican Cultural Institute
2829 16th Street, NW  |  Washington, D.C.

Canapés and Cocktails  |  Cocktail Attire  |  Valet Parking–$10

Kindly respond by February 24th.

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For more information, contact Ellie Stamatopoulos at (202) 828-0110 ext. 227 or ellie@refintl.org

The Year of Sudan: What Lies Ahead

Valentino Achak Deng’s life has been described by The New York Times as a testament “to human resilience over tragedy and disaster.” Born in the village of Marial Bai, in Southern Sudan, he was forced to flee in the 1980s, at the age of seven, when civil war erupted. As one of the so-called Lost Boys, he trekked hundreds of miles, pursued by animals and government militias, and lived for years in refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia. He eventually resettled in America, to a new set of challenges. Deng’s life is the basis of Dave Eggers’ epic book What Is the What, which Francine Prose calls “an extraordinary work of witness, and of art.” In 2009, as part of his Valentino Achak Deng Foundation, he opened the Marial Bai Secondary School, the region’s first proper high school.

Michael Gerson is an op-ed columnist for The Washington Post, writing on politics, global health and development, human rights, religion, conflict resolution, and foreign policy. He is Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Global Engagement’s Center on Faith & International Affairs, a contributor to Newsweek, and author of Heroic Conservatism. Prior to this he was a top aide to President George W. Bush. Gerson has traveled to Sudan multiple times and regularly speaks out about the ongoing conflict and the vital role the US, United Nations, and other aid organizations must play to protect those threatened by violence.

Refugees International advocates will also share their findings from their February 2010 mission to Sudan.